This is a sponsored post with UCAOA. Learn more about UCAOA at www.ucaoa.org.
We have found that using the urgent care center is a great stop for unexpected illnesses and injuries that are not life threatening. Last Christmas my mom came to see our family and a lot of people were sick on the flight. Of course she picked up the germs and ended up with a terrible bout of the flu. As soon as she started to feel sick we took her to the urgent care center that was close to their hotel. They were able to give her something that reduced the time she was sick. My son came down with it next. Because my mom went before he did, they knew what it was and gave him medicine. He was sick even less than she was.
In fact I’ve used our local urgent care center a few times for different reasons from the flu to a sinus infection. It’s just so much easier to get in and out than other options we have. They are able to quickly see you at an urgent care center compared to waiting in the ER. Every time we’ve chosen to go to the Emergency Room we end up waiting forever to get in.
Urgent care centers allow you to consider the three c’s: care, convenience, and cost. Care: locations have the ability to evaluate the severity of your symptoms and identify what you may need. Convenience: they are located everywhere and have really great hours of operation. In the past decade, convenient healthcare options, urgent care, telemedicine, retails clinics, and on-site work clinics have increased in availability for a fraction of the price of a visit to the ER. Cost: You do need to make sure you understand what is covered by your insurance and know if there are any requirements such ass pre-authorization at different locations before you go. When seeking care for non-life or -limb threatening situations, you should make sure that the facility you’re visiting identifies itself as an urgent care or immediate care center, and not as an emergency department. You can find a conveniently located urgent care center near you using this www.whereisurgentcare.com.
Things to consider when selecting which type of On-Demand Healthcare….
Urgent Care Center
Urgent care centers provide a robust spectrum of care for immediate but non-emergency or life-threatening situations, treating everything from the flu and broken bones to asthma and concussion screening. Urgent cares are equipped to handle illnesses and injuries requiring X-rays, intravenous fluids and on-site lab tests. Focused on convenience, urgent cares offer short wait times and affordable care, with services covered by most insurance providers.
Retail Clinics
Retail clinics, or walk-in clinics, are typically found in local supermarkets or pharmacies, and offer a variety of wellness services for conditions less serious than those handled at urgent care centers or ERs. Retail clinics treat uncomplicated minor illnesses and provide preventative care such as vaccinations.
Telemedicine
Telemedicine connects patients with providers for virtual visits regardless of distance, increasing access to care while reducing costs and travel time. Many healthcare organizations adopt telemedicine options to make better use of resources and reach a larger population of patients remotely. Urgent care centers, for example, use online telemedicine platforms to treat patients in rural communities, or for brief consultations and follow-ups that do not require in-person visits.
On-Site Clinic
Many employers are now offering on-site clinics to their employees to increase access to health care. Similar to retail clinics, on-site clinics offer wellness and preventative services that vary per location.
It’s so important to know that you have options when choosing where to go when you are in need of medical care. It’s also important to understand how your insurance works at each of those locations. I personally love using Urgent Care and I’m interested in using telemedicine more often. Sometimes I just want an opinion and I’d hate to pay an entire office visit when I could have just logged into my computer to get medical advice.
What’s your go-to place for medical needs?
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If it can wait, I go to our family doctor. If not, I go to urgent care unless it’s something dire.
I avoid the emergency room like the plague. You have to wait forever, and that’s mainly because too many people go there for NON-emergencies.
I can’t stand the emergency room. I will avoid is as much as possible to avoid further infection.
I agree that hospital ERs are far too overcrowded and the waits are long so we should use those great newer generation urgent care centers. Your family MD may be the best choice but the urgent cares have better hours.
This is a very informative post, I think it’s great to help others make the decision to go to Urgent Care or ER, because sometimes we just need a little trip to see a doc and not incur a huge ER bill.
It is important to know when to go to the urgent care versus the ER. It can save you quite. A bit of time and money.
i try to avoid both. I love my family doctor and would rather go there but if not, urgent care we go! I will always choose UC before ER!
I agree that it is best to take a child, a parent or any family member to Urgent Care if the condition is not life threatening. I do not like Emergency Rooms because they make you wait for a long time and then there are the hoards of medical residents asking you the same questions over and over again.
Yes the emergency room is to be avoided at all costs. I made that mistake once and was there for almost 9 hours.
I try to go to Urgent Care Centers before I go to an Emergency Room. It’s so hard because sometimes your adrenaline kicks in and you just want to get help for your issue now.
You are so right. It usually takes forever at the ER. People don’t know there’s a better choice!
We’ve started using Urgent Care since moving here. The local hospitals are just terrible, especially their emergency rooms.
My daughter just broke her fourth bone. We’ve been to urgent care each time. Such a great option.
I have used Urgent Care centers before, but I definitely prefer my local ER which is right next door. Fortunately, our ER has very short wait times, but if I’m in another city it is likely I would try a UC center again.
This was such a great post. So many people don’t even know the difference between the two. So often, people go to the ER when they don’t need to.