If you have twisted your ankle, sliced open your finger while cutting vegetables, or you’re facing any minor or non-life-threatening medical condition, your first instinct might be to go to your own primary care doctor. But what if it’s late in the day and their clinic is closed? What if you don’t have primary care established, to begin with? Should you go for a standard emergency room visit that could potentially cost you thousands of dollars?

Fortunately, there’s a better option: an UrgentMED walk-in clinic in Hollywood. Urgent care centers such as UrgentMED accept patients with non-life-threatening conditions and provide affordable care even if you have no insurance. And the best part is, you don’t even have to make an appointment – you can just “walk in” and get the care you need right away from an experienced health care team.

What is a Walk-In Clinic?

A walk-in clinic offers the advantages of being accessible and inexpensive to all. You can go in to access a number of basic medical services like treatment for minor cuts, abrasions, scratches, lacerations, flu shots, and vaccinations. With well-equipped walk-in clinics in California, you can get your minor injuries and illnesses treated easily at a very cost-effective rate.

However, it should be noted that walk-in clinics are different from urgent care clinics. While all urgent care centers are walk-in facilities, not all walk-in clinics provide urgent care. If you need a vaccination or a flu shot or treatment for a tiny cut, a walk-in clinic can help you. However, if you want to, say, see board-certified ER doctors for a physical exam, x-ray, wound care, skin tag removal, etc., you have to look for an urgent care clinic.

What are the Conditions Treated at a Hollywood Walk In Clinic?

A Hollywood urgent care clinic can treat medical conditions like urinary tract infections and bronchitis and minor accidents like lacerations or sprains at a fraction of the cost of an emergency room visit – and usually with a shorter wait time! You can also choose to go to an urgent care center for issues treated by your primary care provider like wound care or allergies.

If you are facing a medical emergency that is potentially life-threatening, you must call 9-1-1 or go to the ER. But in other cases, try urgent care for the following conditions:

Diagnostic Testing

These tests are conducted to rule out or confirm certain conditions. The results of a diagnostic test allow your doctor to create an effective treatment plan.

EKG

An Electrocardiogram (EKG) records the electrical signals that trigger your heartbeats. It involves attaching soft, sticky patches (electrodes) to your chest and recording the impulses. The pattern of these lines will show your physician whether your heart function is healthy or not. The test only takes a few minutes.

Drug Testing

This type of screening is used to find out whether or not the patient has taken a certain drug. If you are applying for a job that requires you to do physically strenuous work, or you’re a collegiate or professional athlete, your employer or sports team may ask you to get a drug screening done.

Sometimes, this test is also prescribed by your health care provider to make sure you’re taking the right amount of prescribed opioids. If you are involved in a motor vehicle accident, you may have to undergo drug testing as part of the investigation.

The test looks for the presence of one or more prescription/illegal drugs in your blood, sweat, hair, saliva, and urine, which is why urine testing is the most common form of drug testing.

Lab Testing (Urine and Blood Tests)

Urine testing can be ordered by your doctor as part of your general health screening, to detect early signs of disease. It’s usually done to monitor diabetes and kidney disease.

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is the most common type of blood testing, and it measures the numbers, types, and health of the white and red blood cells in your body. If you have been feeling weak, or fatigued, or your doctor suspects a deficiency of vital nutrients, they may order a CBC to accurately evaluate your health.

Rapid Strep Throat Testing

If you are experiencing symptoms of strep throat – swollen tonsils, fever, pain when swallowing, sore throat, etc. – your urgent care doctor might perform a rapid strep throat test to confirm the illness. It involves swabbing your throat and then testing that swab in a lab. The test is quick in diagnosing whether you have strep throat or not.

If the test is negative, but the doctor still thinks it could be strep throat, they may take a swab of your throat culture. But if the test is positive, they will likely prescribe antibiotics.

UrgenyMED proudly offers rapid strep tests with results within 10-15 minutes, performed in-house. If you would prefer a throat culture or if further evaluation is needed, UrgentMED is also happy to assist and will have those results back from their lab partners in 24-48 hours. Mono and flu testing are also available.

X Ray

One of the most common diagnostic services we offer at UrgentMED is the x-ray. “Did it break or is it just a sprain?” – you don’t have to wonder about that question when you can get a clear diagnosis quickly While all urgent care centers are different, here at UrgentMED we can take x-rays of the toe, finger, nose, coccyx/sacrum, foot, wrist, facial bones, lumbar spine, ankle, hand, forearm, skull/head, thoracic spine, fibula/tibia, and more.

Tuberculosis Skin Test (PPD)

A purified protein derivative (PPD) test is used to find out whether you have tuberculosis (TB). If you’ve been experiencing common TB symptoms like night sweats, coughing, weight loss, and fever, and taking antibiotics hasn’t helped, your doctor might suspect TB and order a PPD test.

UrgentMED also offers quantiferon testing for TB. Unlike many places, there is no need to come back in to receive your quantiferon test results. We will simply send them to you when we receive them back from the lab.

STD Testing

These tests are used to determine if you’ve been infected with a sexually transmitted disease like genital herpes, gonorrhea, Chlamydia, HPV, or HIV infection. STD testing is not always part of your annual physical or gynecologist exam so be sure to ask for it. The test is quick, painless, and can save you from many severe medical complications by catching the infection early.

COVID-19 Testing

At UrgentMED, we offer all primary types of COVID testing: PCR, Rapid Antigen, Antibody, and Rapid PCR. Rapid PCR Tests are the fastest way to know if you have an active infection as results are available within an hour. PCR stands for Polymerase Chain Reaction, which analyzes a sample from your mouth or nose to see if it contains SARS-CoV-2. Nasal Swab testing and Antibody testing is also available at all our locations.

Non Surgical Procedures

Sometimes, there are accidents or conditions which can’t be solved using your first-aid box. For example:

Ear Wax

Wax buildup in your ears can be really annoying, especially when it starts to affect your hearing! Instead of risking damaging your eardrums by using a Q-tip, visit your nearest urgent care physician for a cleanup.

Vaccinations and Immunizations (For Both Children and Adults)

Are you and your kids up to date on all your vaccinations? If not, you can visit a walk-in clinic for vaccines for flu, Hepatitis A and B, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis), and more.

Injections (Vitamin B12, Antibiotics, Hormones)

Intramuscular injections are used to deliver medications deep into the muscles, so they can quickly get absorbed into the bloodstream. Many people regularly get Vitamin B12 injections to help fight vitamin deficiency, boost brain function, increase energy levels, and even help with weight loss. In addition to Vitamin B12 shots, you can also get Vitamin B-Complex, Benadryl, Steroids, Anti-Pain, Anti-Nausea, and Antibiotics injections at a Hollywood walk in clinic.

Surgical Procedures

Walk in clinics are also perfect for conditions that are a little more serious but non-life-threatening, such as:

Minor Wounds

Maybe you dropped something heavy on your big toe or your teenager accidentally cut their finger while working on a DIY project. If it is too severe, call 911 immediately, otherwise head to your local urgent care center for treatment.

Here at UrgentMED, our providers are qualified to treat most types of lacerations, cuts, and wounds. If needed, they can take an x-ray to see if there’s a fracture, stitch the skin back together, and check any minor sores and scrapes on the body. They may also give a prescription for antibiotics to prevent the wound from getting infected.

Skin Tags and Warts

As harmless as they are, skin tags can be unsightly especially if they are growing on your face, eyelids, or neck. Visit an urgent care clinic to get them removed right away. A physician can cauterize or cut off any tags, warts, and other small skin growths on your body.

Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown nail happens when the skin on one of both sides of your toe’s nail grows over the edges of the nail. It can be extremely painful and lead to more serious infections if left untreated. If it’s been several days and the condition has not improved, contact an urgent care physician for ingrown toenail removal.

Cysts and Abscesses

A cyst is a fluid-filled sac that can develop in tissues anywhere in your body. It’s non-cancerous, relatively common, and typically caused by injuries, parasites, and infections. Abscesses are also pus-filled infections in tissues and are often caused by bacteria. Both cysts and abscesses indicate that something amiss is going on in your body.

An urgent care provider can cut into these bumps and drain the affected area using minimally-invasive techniques. You can go to your doctor at the first sign of a cyst/abscess, but if they are not available, head to an urgent care clinic.

Why Visit UrgentMED Network for Best Urgent Care in Los Angeles

With locations spread across southern California, UrgentMED has made quality care accessible for all. Here are a few reasons why you should visit one of our urgent care clinics rather:

• You need medical attention over the weekend or during odd hours
• You want to see compassionate and highly trained medical professionals
• You want little to no waiting time
• You don’t want to spend thousands of dollars for same-day, no-appointment care
• Your family doctor is unavailable

All of our clinics are equipped to handle a wide range of medical care services and treatments. There are no hidden fees – simply walk in any day of the week, receive quality care and great service, and get back to feeling good!

With amenities like free parking, and facilities for COVID testing, on-site labs, and in-house pharmacy, we are the leading provider of urgent care in Hollywood for non-life-threatening conditions. We also accept most health insurance providers and plans. You can drop by anytime from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Monday to Friday and from 9:00 am to 5:00 on weekends. For any questions, please send us a message here.