Medical situations can occur any time. You might wake up in the middle of the night to a child who has an earache, or you might land on your ankle wrong during a ski trip. When urgent care is needed, you might not know where to turn for care.

If you have ever thought about whether you should go to urgent care or the emergency room, you are not alone. You will most likely spend more money at the ER when urgent care would be just as effective in treating your symptoms.  Understanding which medical facility offers the best treatment options for your condition can save you time, money, and the frustration of unnecessary follow-up visits.

The key to knowing which option is best is understanding the difference between urgent care and emergency rooms.

When to Go to an Urgent Care Clinic

If you are experiencing mild symptoms and need more immediate care than waiting for an appointment with your regular physician, urgent care clinics are a good after-hours solution. Urgent care clinics offer extended hours, usually seven days a week. These clinics provide treatment for many different symptoms.

The medical professionals at urgent care facilities offer experienced care and equipment needed to treat a variety of illnesses and injuries. However, these clinics don’t provide specialized treatment for life-threatening illnesses and injuries, such as a heart attack or severe bone breaks.

Instead, urgent care clinics fill the care gap between visits to your doctor’s office and the emergency room.  especially when you are sick or have a minor injury.  When these kinds of issues occur, you can visit an urgent care clinic.

Urgent Care clinics are best used when you have one of the following:

• Ear Pain
• Mild Asthma
• Rashes and Skin Irritations
• Dehydration
• Fever
• Sore Throat or common cold symptoms
• Vomiting
• Minor Traumas (like fractures, sprains, or shallow cuts)
• Nose Bleeds
• Minor Burns
• Infections
• Diarrhea
• Painful Urination

Determining Your Cost for Visiting Urgent Care

The cost of visiting an urgent care clinic is significantly lower than an ER and usually only require a co-pay. When experiencing a mild medical emergency, visiting an urgent care clinic will ensure you get the best care for the lowest cost. In fact, the Ampian HR Medical plan may not cover your visit to an ER if it involves non-emergency care.

When to Go to the Emergency Room

Emergency rooms are there to manage your most critical medical emergencies. Unlike urgent care clinics, hospital ER’s have the medical staff and equipment to handle life-threatening illnesses and injuries. While emergency rooms can handle less urgent medical situations, the main function of an ER is to get you to a stable condition.

Hospital Emergency Rooms are best used when you have one of the following:

• Crushing Chest Pain
• Severe Bleeding
• Signs of a Stroke that include sudden symptoms, including severe headache, weakness or paralysis, difficulty speaking, and difficulty understanding speech
• Vision Changes (blurred, double vision, full/partial loss of vision)
• Broken Bones
• Dislocated Joints
• Persistent Chest Pains followed with sweating, vomiting, or shortness of breath
• Head Injuries
• Serious Burns
• Seizures
• Deep Cuts
• Large Wounds
• Eye Injuries
• Severe Vomiting or Diarrhea

One thing to remember is if an urgent care doctor thinks you need a higher level of care, they will direct you the emergency room.

Determining Your Cost for Visiting the ER

The average cost for an emergency room visit varies depending on your insurance coverage but can cost several thousand dollars. Your total cost will depend on the level of care you receive. If you need critical care, these charges could run into the tens of thousands of dollars.

Ambulance transfers are not covered in your emergency room fee. The added ambulance cost can be over $1,000, depending on your location and the services rendered. In the rare case where an air transport ambulance is needed, the cost can climb much higher.

Summary

Visits to the emergency room will always cost more than a visit to urgent care.  If you can, consider carefully where you should go to address your medical need. Not only so you receive the proper care, but also to watch your out-of-pocket medical expenses.

Please reach out to Jenny at Ampian HR if you have any questions about your current medical plan.