3 Main Differences Between Emergency Room and Urgent Care Centers

If you break a bone, you need to get it set immediately. However, you might not know where to go. While the hospital will be able to have a doctor in emergency medicine do it, that might not be necessary. You can check with urgent cares in your area to see does urgent care fix broken bones? Some might be able to help you, giving you the option for cheaper treatment. An urgent care clinic is also a medical treatment center, but they focus on less severe injuries than the emergency room. While an emergency care unit can treat major health problems, urgent care is good for minor to moderate injuries. However, it is important to know that all urgent care clinics are different. Do urgent cares do casts? It will depend on where you are and who you are seeing. Meanwhile, all emergency rooms will provide casts.

Urgent care is a great option when you can’t go to your usual doctor’s office right away, or you don’t have a usual doctor yet. So if you have an illness or injury that needs to be seen, yet isn’t too severe, you can see a doctor there.

The demand and need for better health care continue to increase but choosing the right care for you or your loved ones can be a frustrating process. With numerous effective treatment options available for an injury, illness and other medical needs, it possible to make an informed decision regarding your health and for those you care about. However, medical needs differ from one another and their urgency will mostly determine the kind of health care you’d choose. For this reason, you would either have to choose between an Urgent care facility or an emergency care center based on your health needs and concerns.

The difference between these two health care facilities, emergency centers and urgent care clinics is the level and approach of treatment each facility offers. When you attract severe illness or life-threatening injuries such as major trauma, loss of consciousness, heart attack, major dislocations or serious bone fractures, an emergency care clinic is the suitable option for prompt emergency healthcare services. However, if you suffer from less life-threatening conditions such as cold symptoms, flu, burns, fever or sprains, an urgent care center will be the most reasonable and efficient treatment option to choose.

With that in mind, it is necessary to understand what differentiate urgent care clinics from emergency centers while looking for an appropriate care for your health problem. And the differences are.

Treatment and Care Options
In Urgent care facilities, doctors provide a wide range of medical attention from mild fever and cold to minor lacerations, cuts and infections. Here, you also can get lab examination and x-ray services while they also provide medical attention for numerous urgent care need such as sprains, coughs, allergic reactions, rashes, bruises and minor respiratory infections. On the other hand, emergency centers are suitable for treating head trauma, abdominal pain, severe chest pain, seizures, severe burns and fractures, spinal injuries and other conditions that demand immediate medical attention. Generally, emergency clinics focus on treating the most serious conditions first.

Cost
Typically, time is of the essence when it comes to treating serious injuries and illnesses, but should you find yourself in this situation, it’s important you also consider the cost of treatment first to avoid hefty medical bills, especially if you are not covered medical wise. If you have a health cover, then the plan will take care of your medical bills. For patients without health insurance and seeking emergency care service, the cost of treatment is the cash price.

Generally, emergency care cost more than Urgent Care due to the higher level medical attention needed. Whether payments are made in cash or deducted from an insurance cover, patients seeking emergency services will mostly feel a pinch in their pockets. Due to simpler administrative procedures, Urgent care centers offer convenient medical attention at lower out-of-pockets compared to emergency centers. Their services are both economical and expedite.

Waiting Time
Waiting times in urgent care centers may vary depending on the number of patients waiting and the type of medical conditions. But typically, the wait can take about 15 minutes. In fact, 60 percent of all urgent care clinics have a wait time of less than 15 minutes while 65 percent have a medical expert on-site at all times. On the other hand, most emergency centers have a wait time of about 2 hours. So while considering between these two health care centers, it’s important to note that urgent care centers have convenient operations and their care is more specific hence patient get through the system much faster as compared to emergency clinics.

In conclusion, your health problem should direct you towards an appropriate care center, when your condition is not that serious, an urgent care center can serve you right but in other cases where seconds can mean the difference between life and death, then an emergency center should be your preferred option.