Houston has state-of-the-art hospitals and is an epicenter of research for challenges such as finding a cure for cancer. The Texas Medical Center is known world-wide and is one of the best in the nation. The Texas Medical Center is a complex of several hospitals within a few blocks, popular ones being MD Anderson Cancer Center and Texas Children’s Hospital, that are world-class in cardiac treatments, cancer treatment and research, trauma, biotechnology and general care. Besides the Medical Center, there are more than a hundred hospitals all over the Houston area, small and large, including popular hospital systems present in several locations such as Memorial Hermann, and Methodist Hospital, St. Luke’s.Many treating physicians practice out of a hospital and have different locations on different days; particularly, if they are specialists, such as gynecologists or orthopedics. If they are not practicing out of hospital, physicians are generally clustered in health or hospital centers which look like shopping centers except for that suites are different doctors’ offices. This system can make it convenient when a family doctor requests an x-ray as the independent company providing the MRI is usually in the same complex or if you have to visit several doctor’s in one day and all practice out of the same area.
Unfortunately, doctors in Houston usually don’t perform house calls. For emergencies, you must dial 9-1-1 and if it is a non-emergency during office hours but too urgent for an appointment, you can walk-in but may need to wait a long time until the doctor or a nurse can see you.
There are urgent care walk-in facilities in Houston for convenience when there is an urgent need to be treated for usual illnesses, allergy treatments or minor injuries and many provide routine checks (blood pressure, blood sugar). If your own doctor is unable to treat you without a long wait time because you don’t have an appointment, or if you are on the other end of town, an urgent care clinic may be a convenient alternative. These clinics will treat you similarly to a hospital’s emergency room.
Houston Urgent Care Centers: http://www.urgentcarehouston.com/walkinclinichouston.html
