It is common for patients who receive an x-ray as per the recommendation of their primary care physician to not receive their conclusive results for several days or longer than a week. When x-rays are completed at clinics handling medical situations that are emergency or urgent, the results will likely be accessible to the patients much faster, particularly if the results are required for treatment that should be administered as quickly as possible, such as for fractures, sprains, or breaks of bones. 
 
With the advancement of the technology used for X-ray machines, the results are available much faster as the images just now need to be processed on the computer to provide a file that is readable by doctors. Many x-ray services take a long time to provide the results simply because of the backlog with patients and insufficient time or staff to go through the results quickly. Urgent care clinics in general can provide medical care much faster than primary care physicians, providing x-ray services to patients who need this diagnostic tool within minutes of arriving at the clinic, and returning those results to the patient along with a physician to go over the results with them almost just as quickly in many cases. Busier clinics or days may lead to a slightly delayed process but will still likely result in receiving the X-ray analysis within the day or a few hours.

There is quite a wide range of prices for x-ray costs in Niagara Falls, NY, with the costs predominantly ranging depending on the area of the body that the x-ray is being used to visualize. X-rays being used to provide images of a finger will likely only cost around $30, whereas X-ray imaging for a blood vessel somewhere in the body will be closer to several thousand dollars. Most patients can expect to spend anywhere from $320 to $700 for their x-ray services. Another factor that will determine the total cost of x-ray services for an individual patient is if they have any coverage from their health insurance provider. 

X-rays have become an essential component of the health care system, providing accurate visualization of the internal body through a completely painless and non-invasive procedure. Before diagnostic imaging was available, patients would have to either be treated for the most likely conditions and hope that the treatment worked to achieve a diagnosis, or would have to undergo forms of exploratory surgical procedures to provide physicians with enough information to provide diagnosis. Not only are they a vital diagnostic tool, but X-rays also provide physicians with a safe means of monitoring treatments and therapy by providing up-to-date, accurate images, making surgical procedures more efficient as they can determine more accurate causes and locations to determine the best course of treatment. They are also often used to help medical personnel place medical devices inside the body, such as stents or catheters, to prevent misplacement and unnecessary discomfort to patients. X-ray images also make removing blood clots, and other blockages, and treating tumors much safer and successful.

Urgent care clinics will be one of the best options available to have an x-ray completed, as they will be much more convenient and often cost-effective than the other options available. Getting an x-ray through your primary care physician will likely mean needing a referral from your physician, then going to have the x-ray completed with a different appointment, and then schedule another appointment a week or so later with your physician to review the results. Emergency rooms can provide fast X-ray services but are intended for use on patients who require immediate attention, meaning that if you are not suffering from an emergency medical situation, it will likely take a long time to have the X-ray completed and to receive the results, and will also most likely be a bit pricier. Urgent care clinics will provide fast, affordable x-ray services to their patients without compromising the quality of the care.
 
Urgent care facilities require X-rays, particularly if a patient has a fractured bone. If you have a broken bone, there’s no need for a visit to the ER; Niagara Falls Urgent Care provides reliable and cost-effective X-ray services to its patients. For more information, please contact us or book an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 3117 Military Road Suite 2, Niagara Falls, NY 14304. We serve patients from Niagara Falls NY, Lewiston NY, Sanborn NY, Walmore NY, Tonawanda NY, Model City NY, and Grand Island NY.