As you are aware, life in Frisco is hectic. Your calendar is probably filled to the brim with the morning commute on the Dallas North Tollway, carting kids to soccer practice at Toyota Stadium, and a very hectic work schedule. Thus, when you wake up with a grating, scratchy throat, or when your DIY project on the weekend ends with a serious scratch on your finger, everything grinds to a screaming halt.

We understand. Five minutes can be five hours when you are in pain or have a sick child. The prospect of waiting in a stuffy, small waiting room to read magazines that are a year old as the clock ticks is enough to put anyone off getting care. We think that your health is worth as much as your time at PrimeCare360. We have transparency in our DNA.

The Direct Answer: What Of the Wait?

Let's rip the bandage off. You want numbers. Although it is difficult to predict the exact wait time at an urgent care center on any given day, the average wait time in the United States is 15 to 45 minutes.

To really see what your visit will be like, we have to venture further. The waiting room has science, and knowing this science can help you make better choices regarding your health.

The Why of the Wait: 5 Factors that Regulate the Clock

Have you ever entered an urgent care situation where you thought no one was there and spent 20 minutes waiting? Or entered a crowded room and was called back almost as soon? It's not random. The number of moving parts that dictate the speed with which you traverse the front door to an exam room is a few.

1. The Protocol of Triage (Severity Matters)

Urgent care should not be a deli counter; it is not necessarily first-come, first-served. We work on a medical principle of triage. Our medical personnel silently determine the severity of the patient's condition when the patients check in. A patient who presents with chest pain or a severe asthma attack will always be given priority as compared to a patient who presents with a routine sports physical or a prescription refill. This is a safety net that lets the neediest be assisted initially. When you have to wait a bit longer, have hope—that is generally because you are in a stable condition and not in danger of life.

2. The Time of Day and Week

• The traffic in the Urgent care is like Frisco. You ought to know about such things as rush hours:
• The Morning Rush (8:00 AM - 10:00 AM):
• The After-School/Work Wave (4:00 PM - 6:00 PM):
• Weekends: As the majority of primary care offices remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays, urgent care centers will be the place to go, which usually results in relatively increased volumes.
• Pro Move: When time permits, the best time to enjoy a short wait is around the middle of the morning (10:30 AM or so) to the early afternoon (before 2:00 PM) on weekdays.

3. Seasonal Spikes

To live in North Texas is to have such medical seasons.

• Flu and Strep Season (Late Fall/Winter): During periods when respiratory viruses are prevalent in Frisco, patient traffic automatically increases.
• Cedar Fever/Allergy Season (Spring/Fall): Texas allergies are a myth. When the pollen levels explode, so does the queue for sinus infections and asthma treatment. These are peak viral seasons, and wait times are expected to naturally be a bit longer because of the number of our neighbors that require assistance concurrently.

4. Administrative Bottlenecks

In other cases, the hold-up may not be the doctor; it is the paperwork. Checking insurance, refilling medical records, and making a co-payment are time-consuming. When the patient in your queue has a complicated insurance issue or has not provided an update within the last 3 years, it can cause a ripple effect that slows the queue.

5. The Mix of Walk-In and Appointment

It is the greatest game-changer in contemporary urgent care. Walk-in clinics are unreliable. You are taking a chance of getting a family of five five minutes behind you. A much smoother flow can be achieved in a clinic like PrimeCare360, where you can check in online or even make an appointment, effectively booking your place in line.

ER vs. Urgent Care: Time (and Money) Calculation

We cannot discuss wait times without referring to the elephant in the room: the Emergency Room. Due to the perception that this is the only open place or the only place to help, many patients end up in the ER, defaulting. However, in non-life-threatening cases, the ER is the slowest compared to other alternatives.

The ER Reality

Emergency rooms are structured in such a way that they are trauma-oriented. They are ready to have a heart attack, to have strokes, or a major car accident. Due to this reason, they have to maintain beds and staff available for critical arrivals. When you present to the ER with a sprained ankle or a fever, you are literally at the bottom of the list. You may have to wait 4, 6, or even 8 hours in case there is a major trauma.

The Urgent Care Advantage

Urgent clinics are streamlined for middle-tier problems. We do not perform major surgery, so our beds turn over at a higher rate. We do not treat gunshot wounds, and this fact gives our doctors no reason to be away pulling hours at a time.

The Wait is Being Redefined at PrimeCare360

At PrimeCare360, we contemplated the conventional urgent care model and asked, "How can we be more respectful of the time of our patients?" We understand that you can make a decision in Frisco. This is how we are proactively working to keep your wait time to a minimum.

The Power of the Healow App

We have incorporated technology in our care model. With the Healow application and our patient portal, you can skip much of the administrative drag that traditional clinics face.

• Book Ahead: You do not need to just show up and cross your fingers. You can see open spots and make your reservation in real time on your phone.
• Pre-Check-In: Complete your history, upload your insurance, and sign the forms before you even step through our doors. This is in order to arrive and be ready to be seen, not to have a clipboard.

The Bottom Line: We Do Not Waste Your Time

Nobody plans to get sick. Nobody schedules an injury. These things happen when they do, and mostly at the most inappropriate times. Although we cannot regulate the season of the flu or even the turns of our fortune, we can regulate the treatment we give you once you pass through our doors.

Don't wait in pain. Visit the Healow App and book an appointment. Our Frisco and Allen clinic is always open to walk-ins. Call us if you are not sure whether you need Urgent Care or the ER.

Your health is urgent. Your time is precious. We're here to protect both.

‍