Helping members find the best care at the most affordable cost is important. But in today’s health care market, there are hundreds of physician walk-in centers, convenient care centers and urgent care centers. It’s important that members understand that their coverage is subject to wellness benefits, medical necessity, and the terms of their specific contracted benefit plan.

To help clarify the differences between providers, here’s a brief description of each.

Physician Walk-In Centers are typically doctor offices that accept new patients and have extended office evening and weekend hours available; as such, they are licensed and contracted under the physician or group practice.

Convenient Care Centers such as The Little Clinic, LLC, and Minute Clinic with many locations across Florida, are listed under the “support service” provider type on our online provider directory. These walk-in centers are staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants. The centers usually have a menu of charges for minor ailments and needs such as flu and allergy shots, ear inflection, colds, pink eye, strep throat, skin rashes, bladder infection, sun exposure, or sinus infections. It has been reported that convenient care centers cost half as much as visits to physicians’ offices for similar conditions.

Urgent Care Centers provide walk-in, extended hour access for acute illness and injury care that is either beyond the scope or availability of a typical primary care practice or convenient care clinic (complicated minor alignments, cuts, sprains or fractures, burns, and sports physicals). Urgent care centers provide physician medical attention for many acute care services in a more cost effective and efficient way than a typical emergency room. Most centers have some limited laboratory and radiological diagnostic services on site.

Helping members understand their coverage benefits and the differences among care centers will help ensure a better healthcare experience.