Category: Health Tips & Information

The rise of urgent care clinics like ConvenientMD in the last decade have revolutionized healthcare by creating accessible, quick, and more affordable treatment for common illnesses and injuries. In most situations, people don’t have to spend the time or money at an emergency room, but it always depends on the severity of the situation. A good rule of thumb is, if its life or limb threatening, go to the hospital.  

Urgent care clinics can save you significant money

Urgent care clinics like ConvenientMD are perfect for non-emergency situations like knife cuts, broken bones, illnesses, allergies, and urinary tract infections. Because urgent care clinics also take most insurances, you can expect to save a lot of out-of-pocket costs versus a hospital visit. Hospitals tend to have significantly higher co-pays than urgent cares and should always be considered when assessing the severity of your situation. A key benefit of our clinics in particular is that even if you don’t have insurance, you won’t pay more than $250 for the services provided. This policy is one of the ways ConvenientMD tries to make healthcare more accessible to our communities.

Going to an urgent care clinic saves you time

When dealing with an injury or illness that needs immediate attention, you will almost always get seen quicker at an urgent care clinic. Most patients visiting an urgent care will wait 30 minutes or less before being seen while it could take hours at a hospital, where priority is given to those with more serious situations. While this can be a big decision factor in seeking medical attention, you should always go to an emergency room if your case is life threatening.

Another great perk with urgent care clinics is that they can perform tasks that many people think they need to schedule appointments with their primary care physicians. Instead of having to make an appointment, you can save time by just walking into a ConvenientMD to receive vaccinations, lab tests, prescriptions, or a sports physical.

Receive the same quality of care

By now you’ve probably noticed the key distinction between urgent cares and emergency rooms. Urgent cares know their limits to what they can provide but the services they do provide are the same level of quality. Stitches, prescription, x-rays, infusions, and all the services performed are the same at an urgent care as they are at a hospital, by equally qualified and trained medical professionals. If a more serious case comes in, they are quickly and appropriately sent to the emergency room.

Hearing about broken bones and bone fractures is a common occurrence, but what do you actually think about when you imagine what they look like? Chances are you might just imagine the same thing, a broken bone. Well, you’re not really wrong!

A broken or fractured bone is one that has been shattered, usually through an accident of excessive force. They are interchangeable terms but healthcare professionals will usually refer to this type of injury as a fracture because it sounds more professional, while referring to it as a broken bone can be more colloquial.

How does a broken bone happen?

A fracture occurs when a bone is struck by something stronger than the bone itself. This causes it to break. Car accidents, sports injuries, and falls are common causes of fractures. Repeated wear on a bone, such as from running, can also cause small fractures. These are called stress fractures or hairline fractures. Sometimes fractures result from an infection or cancer that weakens the bone. Weakened bones in older people, called osteoporosis, are also a frequent cause of fractures.

Common symptoms of a broken or fractured bone:

• Swelling
• Numbness
• Bleeding
• Bruising or change in color
• Bone poking through the skin

Usually when a broken or fractured bone is suspected, you will receive an X-Ray but sometimes a CT scan or an MRI is used in scenarios that require a more detailed look at the body. Your provider will also ask you about the details of how the injury occurred, which can help diagnose if it is indeed a fracture.

How is a fracture treated and how long does it take to heal?

Usually a fracture takes about 6-8 weeks to heal and there is usually a faster healing period for children. Bones heal themselves by producing new bone tissue to repair the fracture. New bone tissue forms at the edges of the break to “knit” the broken pieces together. The new bone is soft at first, and so it needs to be protected. For a small bone like a finger or toe, the fracture can be immobilized by wrapping it with a soft wrap or a splint.

Usually a fracture is immobilized to protect the new, soft bone tissue. Your doctor can immobilize the bone using options that include:

• Cast
• Splint
• Sling
• Combination

These devices can help keep the bone aligned while it heals. They also make it more difficult for you to accidentally use the injured bone.

If you or someone you know might have had an injury that appears to be a fracture, feel free to walk in to any of our clinics or check-in online and get set up with an X-Ray.

In just a short time, the Omicron variant has taken the main stage in the latest phase of the pandemic and has been detected in most states. The new variant spreads quicker than the previous variants but appears to have milder symptoms.

Spread

It is widely understood that the Omicron variant spreads significantly faster than its predecessors and has a shorter incubation period (time it takes to show symptoms) of approximately three days. The CDC expects that anyone with Omicron infection can spread the virus to others, even if they are vaccinated or don’t have symptoms.

Illness

Symptoms of Omicron are similar to that of the Delta variant but overall less severe, including cough, headache, sore throat, fatigue, and congestion. Another key difference in symptoms is that losing taste and smell doesn’t appear to be commonly associated with Omicron. One reason for the decreased severity of symptoms is that many people infected with Omicron are vaccinated or have recovered from previous infections and their immunity lowers their chances of ending up in a hospital with COVID.

Vaccines and Boosters

Vaccines and boosters are highly effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. The CDC recommends that everyone 5 years and older protect themselves from COVID-19 by getting fully vaccinated and everyone ages 12 years or older get a booster shot after completing their primary COVID-19 vaccination series. You are eligible for a booster at 5 months after completing Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, 6 months after completing Moderna primary series, and 2 months after the initial J&J vaccine.

What Can You Do?

So now that you have a brief understanding about this phase of the pandemic, maybe you’re wondering how you can help protect yourself and your community. Vaccines remain the best public health measure to protect people from COVID-19, slow transmission, and reduce the likelihood of new variants emerging. It’s also recommended to swap out your cloth mask for an N-95 mask, which offer protection against all the variants. If you’ve been exposed, definitely get tested even if you aren’t exhibiting strong symptoms. Click here to find a ConvenientMD location near you to schedule your COVID-19 test or vaccination.

The holidays are one of the most joyful time of year, full of family, friends, and good spirits, but that doesn’t make it stress-free. We’re sharing a few tips for keeping your stress levels low.

Take some time for yourself

Yes, you’re excited to see everyone and surround yourself with loved ones! But don’t forget that even these special moments can be mentally and emotionally exhausting. At the end of the day, your social capacity is depleted and the next day seems even more daunting. Remember to take a few minutes to yourself in the morning, afternoon, and the evening. Think positive thoughts, happy memories, or things that make you feel peaceful. This will help mentally reset yourself and continue your day in a calmer mindset. It’s easy and it’ll do wonders to keep you in a good mood during the holidays.

Stay active together!

Maybe you’re busy preparing things and socializing or have just been inside cozy for several hours and indulging in holiday treats – don’t let this get in the way of staying active. Perhaps one of the best ways to overcome stress during the holidays or any other time is to exercise regularly. Research shows that physical activity not only boosts your fitness and energy levels but can also elevate your mood. Exercise has also been found to reduce anger, tension, fatigue and confusion. Sounds exactly like what you need to de-stress right

Think positively

Remembering to take a positive outlook on situations can do wonders for your stress levels. If you feel like your stress or anxiety is increasing during the day, conscious, slow breathing can help you take a step back and reset to a more positive perspective. During the holidays, looking through those rose-colored glasses really does the trick!

Get tested for COVID-19 before gathering

This one is a big one, despite being last on the list. As families gather this season, have one less thing to stress about during the holidays by getting tested for COVID-19 before traveling, even if it’s just by car. Your family and friends will appreciate the gesture and you can start the festivities on the right foot knowing you’re keeping each other healthy. And it’s easy! You’ll get your rapid test results in 15 minutes and PCR results in a day, so even doing it last minute is an option.

Leading an urgent care clinic as a medical provider means you are seeing patients throughout the day while ensuring high quality care across a broad scope of illnesses and injuries. Here are some things you can expect when you join our team as a medical provider.

Provide leading care.

Our provider team consists of top tier physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. The work is fulfilling, essential and unpredictable, especially at an urgent care clinic. But the foundation of a medical provider will always concentrate around the best care for the patient. At ConvenientMD our culture of caring is a pillar to the way we run our day-to-day at the clinics. We are committed to providing quality care by adhering to all federal, state and local regulations. Operating an efficient practice while creating a healthier community can be tremendously rewarding. On most days you can expect to do the following:

• Identify and treat a variety of acute and chronic illnesses
• Discuss treatment options with patients and clinical team members to determine the best care
• Assess patient health by taking complete medical histories and performing detailed physical exams

• Diagnose acute illness or injury utilizing a wide variety of diagnostic tools including ECG, x-ray, point-of-care testing and lab studies
• Treat acute traumatic injuries such as lacerations, minor fractures and burns
• Work collaboratively with local specialists and Primary Care Providers

Working with a collaborative team.

The success of your medical practice is dependent on your team and how you work with them. When you join a ConvenientMD clinic, having a collaborative and supportive team is a priority. You are working with highly qualified Registered Nurses, urgent care techs, rad techs, certified medical assistants and dedicated medical receptionists. By setting each other up for success you are benefiting the care of the patient and the clinic’s effectiveness. It always takes some of the stress out of your job when you love the people you work with!

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