Urgent Care or Emergency Room? Understanding the Difference
Urgent care facilities seem to be popping up all over these days. The urgent care trend began in the 1970s as a way to decrease trips to emergency rooms, which are much more costly for patients and insurance companies. Sounds great, right? But it’s not always easy to tell the difference between an urgent situation and an emergency.
We’ll help you sort it out.
When to Use Urgent Care
If you’re having pain or an injury that isn’t life-threatening but can’t wait until you can get in to see your primary care provider, that’s urgent.
Reasons to use urgent care include:
- Cough or cold symptoms
- Sore throat
- Mild to moderate fever in an adult or older child
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Back pain
- Minor fractures
- Lacerations
- Headaches
- Rashes
- Allergic reactions
- Earaches
- Sinus pain
- A foreign object in ear, eye, nose, and throat
- Eye irritation, swelling, or pain
- Burning with urination
- Vaccinations
- Animal bites
- Asthma
- Strains and sprains
- Physicals
- IV (intravenous infusion)
Urgent care centers can usually do x-rays and blood work and prescribe medication and provide treatment including IV and injury repair on-site. They can also refer you to a higher level of care if they feel you need it. Most insurance accepted.
When to Visit the Emergency Room
When you have an illness or injury that could be life-threatening, that’s an emergency.
The list would include:
- Systemic sepsis (meaning you feel sick all over with fever, sweats, or chills)
- High fever in infants
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Loss of vision
- Head trauma
- Loss of consciousness
- Severe bleeding
- Overdoses
- Stroke symptoms
Advantages to Urgent Care
When your symptoms are not life-threatening, there are good reasons to consider an urgent care center rather than the ER.
Consider these:
Convenience. Many urgent care centers are in convenient locations that are easier to get to than hospital emergency rooms.
Walk-ins are accepted. You don’t need to make an appointment at most urgent care centers. However, you may be seen sooner if you choose to make an appointment.
Flexible hours. Urgent care centers are usually open evenings and weekends when primary care offices are not. Some are open around the clock.
Shorter wait times. Urgent care patients are usually seen within 15 to 30 minutes of arrival. The majority of patients are in and out in less than an hour. The wait time in an emergency room averages around four hours and can be much longer.
· Much lower cost. One recent study found that care at an emergency facility can be an average of 10 times more expensive than at an urgent care center. The higher cost applies to both insurance billing and out-of-pocket costs for patients.
A Final Note
Urgent care is not substitute for primary care. You can often get physicals and blood work at an urgent care center. But regular visits with your primary care provider are essential to monitor for chronic illness.
