Urgent care is a category of
walk-in clinic focused on the delivery of
ambulatory care in a dedicated medical facility outside of a traditional
emergency room. Urgent care centers primarily treat
injuries or
illnesses requiring immediate care, but not serious enough to require an
ER visit. Urgent care centers are distinguished from similar ambulatory healthcare centers such as
emergency departments and
convenient care clinics by their scope of conditions treated and available facilities on-site. While urgent care centers are usually not open 24-hours a day, 70% of centers in the United States open by 8:00 am or earlier and 95 lose after 7:00 pm.