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What to do When You Can’t Get Into Your “Normal” Doctor for an Illness or Injury

Need urgent care for a high fever, flu, sore throat, or injury? Skip the wait for same-day appointments with your primary care provider. Urgent care clinics provide quick, professional treatment to help you recover fast, whether you need antibiotics or other medical support.

No PCP? Whether looking for help with a high fever, flu, sore throat or an injury that needs attention now, it’s uncommon for most patients to get same-day appointments with their primary care providers. As a result, people across Louisiana are delaying medical care or ‘toughing it out’ — even though many issues won’t clear up without antibiotics or other professional support. (Many of them discover Coastal Urgent Care because of this — and we’re happy to help them feel better.)

Patients report calling for an appointment with their primary care provider (PCP), just to hear they can’t be seen for days, weeks or months — even when symptoms call for faster care. While most primary care groups reserve a small number of slots for “emergency” visits for urgent needs, they fill quickly and are typically triaged by severity.

When your PCP can't see you soon enough, urgent care can.

Delaying medical care can be uncomfortable and potentially even dangerous. And with a Coastal Urgent Care near you, it’s unnecessary. Our clinics have become a trusted medical care partner when you can’t be seen by your primary care provider. In some areas where primary care access is especially tight, clinics like ours are often the preferred first stop for patients who have become accustomed to the convenience of walking right into a nearby clinic at their convenience.

“We don’t even attempt for an appointment with our primary care provider. Coastal Urgent Care has become our primary care,” one mother wrote. “The care we receive there is just as good if not better, we can get in for an appointment the same day — often the same hour — and we regularly see the same care team. Billing and insurance are easy, too. For most of our needs (flu, strep, injuries, sports physicals), it’s our go-to.”

Good reasons to head to urgent care

When urgent care clinics first emerged, they aimed to help patients with injuries that were not life-threatening but required professional medical help avoid a trip to the hospital emergency room. Stitches, fevers and viruses were common reasons people headed to urgent care rather than an ER. While that still holds true, these days, a sizable number of those making their way to Coastal Urgent Care are there for the same care they’d typically have gone to their ‘normal’ doctor for in years past. The need for more primary care providers is well documented, and we couldn’t agree more. A primary care provider is the best option for patients who encounter medical needs that demand coordination between specialists, for situations that require intensive or specialized lab tests, or for chronic conditions.

But most of the time, when people need same-day (or right-now) appointments, urgent care is the best option. Conditions and cases that are well suited for urgent care include:

  • Fevers
  • Flu-like illness
  • Sore throats
  • Stitches and cuts
  • Sprains or strains
  • Fractures or breaks
  • Rashes, allergies and hives
  • Pink eye
  • UTI (urinary tract infections)
  • Nausea
  • Diarrhea
  • Colds and congestion
  • Earaches
  • Infections
  • Abscesses
  • Dehydration
  • Asthma
  • Testing and treatment for flu, strep, RSV and COVID

(You should always go straight to the hospital or call 911 if you are experiencing a life-threatening injury or symptom.)

How urgent care works

If you’re new to using urgent care, don’t hesitate to ask us questions. The bottom line is that if you can’t wait for an appointment, but symptoms are not life-threatening, visiting Coastal Urgent Care is a convenient way to receive high-quality health care. No appointment is needed. Just click to find the nearest clinic and then walk in. We take many types of insurance — they are listed on our website — or you can choose to self-pay. We have locations across Louisiana. Hours and locations are all right here.

What's going around? Link to coastal urgent care dot com.