Delays in urgent care: a slideshow

Primary care physicians know if they help their patients maintain and control their health conditions, those patients are less likely to end up at the emergency department.

But sometimes urgent care is necessary for injuries or illnesses.

Not every state has quick access to urgent care. In the worst case, more than 17% of patients reported they did not receive urgent care when they wanted it, according to findings from the Parrish Law Firm of Virginia, compiled from national data of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Figures were based on percentages of adults seeking urgent care who “sometimes” or “never” received care as soon as they wanted it over the past six or 12 months.

"The findings of this study highlight significant disparities in access to urgent medical care across different states,” firm founder Jim Parrish, JD, said in the report. “Urgent care plays a pivotal role in the health care system, making it imperative to identify areas where improvement is needed to enhance overall health care accessibility and outcomes.”

This slideshow presents the 13 worst states where at least 11% of adults said they did not receive urgent care when they wanted it.