Can urgent care write prescriptions? (yes or no)

This article provides an answer to whether urgent care can write prescriptions, the kind of prescriptions they can prescribe and can not prescribe, and when to visit urgent care.

Can urgent care write prescriptions?

Physicians who practice in these urgent care centers will administer medicines much as a general practitioner can. Certain drugs need supervision, which may include extra medical follow-up visits or referrals to a general practitioner. Patients should be confident that, if they can see a nurse assistant or a doctor in emergency care, the clinician will be able to administer medicine to examine the patient as soon as possible, while with the patient’s safety in mind.

Among the many wonderful comforts of emergency, clinics are that plenty of them have their medication, which removes the need for a patient to go to another hospital during a stay. 

Role of Urgent care 

Urgent treatment offers convenient access to medical care when your primary healthcare provider’s office is unavailable or you cannot get a prompt consultation with your usual practitioner. Urgent medical centers usually take certain forms of health plans and are open to individuals during the day, evenings, weekends, and holidays.

In several ways, the Urgent Care Center (UCC) is close in some aspects to the primary healthcare doctor’s practice but varies in that the Urgent Care Center may usually offer on-site x-rays, perform laceration for small fractures, and can do a minimal casting. Some will be able to provide basic blood checks and iv fluids, depending on the employment style, so you can still call ahead and find out the nature of the services offered. Note, Urgent Care Center is not a replacement for the general practitioner, and refills are at the absolute discretion of the provider. Do not believe the drugs will be refilled when attending the Urgent Care Clinic.

Most of the time, the pharmacy will not want to offer refills on this type of medication, and you can not blame the pharmacy if they do not.

Urgent Medical Facilities are open for long periods, usually 12 hours a day on minimum, including weekends on average h Hours based on patient demand and venue. Usually, you can be treated earlier at the Urgent Care Facility for mild diseases at a significantly smaller co-payment. 

Conditions treated by urgent care

Normally, emergency care centers assist with non-life-threatening accidents and diseases. Instances of therapies can include:

  • Infections of the ear
  • Allergy reactions
  • Fractured bones 
  • Spinal and strains
  • Pink-eye
  • Colds and Flus
  • Strep of the throat  
  • Asthma
  • Bronchitis
  • Sinus infection
  • Pet bites and mosquito bites
  • Skin burns

Urgent care can write these prescriptions

There are different types of prescriptions that an urgent care can write, some of them are:

  • Antibiotics
  • Short-Term Pain Medications
  • One-Time Prescription Medications 
  • Asthma and Allergy Drugs 
  • Antiviral Medication 
  • Medications for Digestive Conditions 
  • Eye drops for eye conditions

Antibiotics

If a patient goes to urgent care related to a potential illness, it is important to understand that the clinic’s physicians and medical assistants are willing to administer antibiotics. Urgent treatment centers hold all popular antibiotics, and many will be able to give the individual medication before he or she left the hospital.

Short-Term Pain Medications

If a person goes to urgent care for an accident such as a disc or serious back pain, some emergency clinics can recommend short-term pain medications. Nevertheless, not all emergency care centers are permitted to administer painkillers, and others are recommended based on the requirements of the patients.

One-Time Prescription Medications 

or those in need of prescription drugs when they have not been refilled, the urgent care pharmacy would most likely not supply them with a full prescription but will issue the individual just one dose before he or she has been able to contact the physician to replace the prescription. Many of the once accessible medicines contain cholesterol pills, blood pressure pills, and diabetes medications.

Asthma and Allergy Drugs 

The specialist would be able to administer suitable pharmaceutical care to an individual attending urgent care for allergies or asthma. Suggestions for long-term allergy drugs may also be provided.

Antiviral Medication 

Antiviral medicines, such as those for the prevention of influenza, are used in emergency departments. People who believe they have the flu should be tested for the appropriate functioning of the antiviral drug as quickly as possible.

Medications for Digestive Conditions 

People that have stomach symptoms, such as indigestion or diarrhea, will be able to visit a short-term medical emergency facility for 30 days or longer before they can see the main practitioner or gastro doctor.

Eye drops for eye conditions

Medicament eye drops are prescribed to prevent problems such as eye problems, pink eye (conjunctivitis) abrasions, and dry eye.

Medications urgent care are not likely to prescribe

There are a few medications that urgent care do not provide, and here are some of them:

  • Prescription Refills 
  • Narcotics
  • Long-term pain control
  • Anti-anxiety medications
  • Antidepressants
  • Birth control
  • Long-term/chronic treatment drugs

Prescription Refills 

If the individual has neglected to get a refill by his or her physician at the previous appointment, and the individual’s refills are all gone, it is impossible that he or she will be able to get an immediate refill. Some of the time, urgent care providers may not authorize the order for a prescription refill, since clinical illnesses needing long-term medicine are better managed by the main specialist, who will track the patient during the administration of the medication, and can assist with dietary adjustments related to the disease.

When the patient does not have a healthcare provider, the urgent care physician will be required to recommend to see one.

Narcotics

Narcotics are not expected to be prescribed in emergency centers in terms of minimizing opioid misuse. Narcotics are normally administered by a medical practitioner who is qualified to track the health of the patient closely.

Long-Term Pain Control 

In a similar response to opioids, long-term pain management drugs are most often not provided in urgent care hospitals due to the lack of long-term patient supervision by emergency care doctors. Healthcare providers who have the access to visit a patient regularly and to track long-term pain control will be those who administer certain kinds of drugs.

Anti-Anxiety Medications

Because urgent care doctors are not psychologists and do not implement interventions on a long-term basis, it is important to understand that anxiety and anti-depression treatment cannot be administered in emergency care facilities.

Antidepressants

Antidepressant medications are not accessible by urgent care. Urgent treatment doctors are not psychologists and should not track patients in the long run. For these purposes, antidepressants and associated drugs cannot usually be administered at the emergency medical department. Under such cases, prescriptions for a small emergency dosage of antidepressants that are already being used by a patient under the supervision of another practitioner can be written.

Birth control

Birth control pills or other means of contraceptive methods including prescription are not distributed at urgent care clinics.

Long-term/chronic treatment drugs

Drugs for elevated blood pressure, cholesterol and other underlying disorders that require continuous patient surveillance are not available at urgent care facilities. One-time, restricted refill for hypertension, elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol or other chronic illnesses may be required on certain occasions if the individual has run out and cannot contact his or her usual practitioner.

Although there are many varieties of medicines that can be used in emergency medical hospitals, there are several drugs that are not commonly prescribed by urgent care physicians.

When to visit urgent care for medications

Although urgent care physicians are unable to offer all drugs, such as opioids, anxiety pills, and long-term pain relief medications, they can prescribe certain drugs or provide health advice to better relieve infectious, viral, and other disorders, such as hypertension or heart problems, on a one-time basis.

Individuals who are ill and think that they are struggling with an illness should contact the emergency medical facility so the nurse is in a position to administer drugs. Individuals can also head to the emergency care unit if they have mistakenly run out of control drugs and require a single dose, or if they are on holiday and have lost the prescription they use to sustain their general wellbeing.

Urgent care physicians are willing to administer medicines to cure individuals to make them feel better. The primary aim of emergency medical clinics is to ensure that individuals are seen efficiently and handled properly and with the utmost care. The doctor can either recommend a medicine that he or she feels is appropriate for a particular patient’s illness or refer the patient to a healthcare professional who can track any potential long-term disease.

If you need quick treatment for a condition or accident that is not a “real emergency,” you should contact an emergency care provider. These centers are open beyond hours and on Sundays, because the primary care doctor may not be free. They are not, though, prepared to cope with big traumas or health issues.

This article provides an answer to whether urgent care can write prescriptions, the kind of prescriptions they can prescribe and can not prescribe, and when to visit urgent care.

FAQs: Can urgent care write prescriptions

Is it cheaper to see your doctor or go to urgent care?

It is more likely that visiting urgent care will be cheaper than visiting the emergency room but one must ensure that the insurance covers the area where the urgent care is located. 

Can an urgent care prescribe Adderall?

Most urgent care centers are not likely to prescribe you Adderall if they haven’t treated you before or if you are unable to provide your medical records to them. This is the same for other controlled substances as well.

Is Urgent Care considered emergency medicine?

Urgent care clinics are different from emergency centers and do not provide the same facilities as those. Urgent care is almost like small one-day clinics that provide treatment for a variety of medical problems that do not require immediate treatment and are not considered to be true emergencies. Symptoms can be diagnosed and evaluated by the urgent care doctors and appropriate treatment for most of them like fever without a rash is provided.

When should you not go to urgent care?

In case of life-threatening emergencies, you should not go to urgent care clinics. Urgent care clinics are there to provide treatment for a limited amount of disorders which include cold, urinary tract infection, burns, allergic reactions, fever, etc. 

Does it cost more to go to urgent care than primary care?

Yes, it does cost more to go to urgent care than primary care clinics and urgent care contracts are roughly 30% more. 

Does urgent care make you pay upfront?

No urgent care does not make you pay upfront if you’re unable to do so. Urgent care centers will provide treatment even if you do not have insurance and offer different payment plans to individuals who cannot pay upfront. It is cheaper to visit urgent care centers than an emergency room.

References

https://www.ajmc.com/view/what-type-of-medication-can-an-urgent-care-doctor-prescribe

http://www.healthmeduc.com/prescriptions/

https://familywize.org/blog/medications-an-urgent-care-clinic-can-prescribe

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!