Understanding the Scope of Urgent Care Billing

An Introduction to Urgent Care Billing

In an attempt to understand the fairly extensive purview of Urgent Care billing, one should start by understanding the range of services that such an Urgent Care facility typically offers. The focus of Urgent Care centers is providing treatment of acute or episodic problems. It serves patients of an ambulatory nature. In other words, anybody seeking immediate medical attention can choose to walk into an Urgent Care facility without any prior appointment and receive care, provided the condition is not very critical or life-threatening, in which case the patient will be redirected to a Hospital Emergency Room.

It is also important to remember that an Urgent Care practice can supplement the services that the patient’s primary doctor can provide, with the added benefit of extended office hours and shorter wait times. Common procedures such as EKG, IV, X-rays, etc. are conveniently available under one roof, and this fact is a major contributor to the popularity of Urgent Care facilities across the US.

Categories of Care Available under Urgent Care

Care obtained under Urgent Care can account for a diverse range of services. They can be broadly categorized as

• Injuries and Illnesses:
These include such cases as involving sprains & strains; cuts, scrapes, wounds & lacerations; abscesses; minor fractures & dislocations; minor burns; insect bites & rashes; allergic reactions; cough, cold & flu; sinus infection; fever; sore throat & strep throat; rashes & skin infections; nausea, diarrhea, vomiting & stomach flu; migraines & headaches; ear infections, earaches & ear wax removal; nose bleeds; urinary tract infections, and so on.

• Pediatric Care:
These services are aimed for children and include most of the above, with the addition of such pediatric concerns as whooping cough; baby nose bleeds; bronchitis, wheezing & asthma attacks; children’s vaccinations; cornial abrasions; atopic eczema treatment for babies; chicken pox treatment, and more.

• Physical Exams:
These cover physical examinations such as pre-employment Physicals, Return-to-Work Physicals, sport Physicals, student Physicals and annual physical exams

• Rapid Lab Tests & Screenings:
These typically include such pathological investigations and lab tests as COVID-19 testing, STD & HIV testing, rapid influenza A&B testing, rapid mononucleosis screening, urine pregnancy test and the like.

• Vaccinations:
Starting with seasonal flu shots, this category also includes travel vaccinations, tetanus, PPD and occupational health vaccines

• Women’s Needs:
This group of services are focused on women and can typically include UTI testing, vaginal complaints (i.e. bleeding, discharge, itchiness, dryness), abdominal/pelvic pain or cramping, testing for pregnancy, hemorrhoids & abscess, morning sickness, menopausal symptoms etc.
Besides the above, Urgent Care billing may also involve billing for services such as X-rays, or for treating on-the-job injuries such as lacerations, puncture wounds, fractures, contusions, chemical burns etc.