When accidents happen, it’s important to know where to turn for care that’s both specialized and affordable. With so many quick-service care clinics at our fingertips, understanding the differences and when to seek treatment can be confusing.
In the interview below, we asked Dr. Jeremy Hunt to answer FAQs about our Walk-In Clinics, discussing benefits, when to seek care and differences between our Walk-In Clinic and the emergency room. Dr. Hunt is board-certified in primary care sports medicine and has been practicing at Central Indiana Orthopedics for almost 20 years.
What are the benefits of a Walk-In Clinic?
Central Indiana Orthopedics has Walk-In Clinics located in Fishers, Anderson and Muncie. Patients with a recent injury in the last two weeks can “walk in” without an appointment or provider referral. Our Walk-In Clinics offer one-stop convenience for the patient to receive diagnostics, casting and specialty orthopedic care all under one roof.
What types of injuries do you treat?
Because our Walk-In Clinics are staffed by physicians trained in musculoskeletal medicine, we are able to treat injuries related to bone, joint or muscle. This includes injuries obtained from participating in your favorite activities or work-related injuries.
When should I decide to come in?
This question is tricky to answer without actually seeing the injury, but we typically advise that patients can skip the ER and wait until the next morning to seek treatment if (1) the pain can be managed with over-the-counter medicine, (2) the injury can be splinted and/or (3) there isn’t an obvious deformity (like a bone sticking out – yikes!). If patients are able to wait, there will be significant time and cost savings.
Why skip the emergency room?
Patients can save on average up to $2000 by visiting our Walk-In Clinic vs the emergency room. Additionally, unlike emergency rooms which have general-practice physicians trained to treat a broad range of illnesses and injuries, physicians in our Walk-In Clinics are trained in musculoskeletal medicine and primary care sports medicine. When you visit our Walk-In Clinics, you can feel confident that you will receive specialized care from the initial evaluation to rehabilitation and release to full activity.
What is the wait time?
We understand your time is valuable and make every effort to evaluate each patient on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to the unscheduled nature of the Walk-In Clinic and the tendency to treat unexpected severe injuries, we triage as patients arrive. Before you venture out, visit ciocenter.com and access Chat to find out the current wait time.
To learn more about our Walk-In Clinics, visit https://ciocenter.com/services/walk-in-clinic/.