When facing a medical situation, most people are often split between visiting an urgent care or ER facility. Well, both healthcare centers can be ideal under specific circumstances, depending on the required services.
This post shall distinguish between urgent care and ER before delving into the top six reasons you should consider visiting the former instead of the latter.
About Urgent Care
Urgent care is a health facility that offers treatments for non-life-threatening medical conditions. Most urgent care centers provide same-day services, although patients may stay overnight depending on the scope of diagnosis and treatment required.
Comparatively, ER centers usually handle potentially life-threatening conditions. The facilities are particularly recommended when suffering from acute chest pains, severe breathing difficulties, heavy bleeding, high fever, bone fractures, or loss of consciousness.
Reasons to Consider Urgent Care Instead Of ER
1. Urgent Care Treatments Can Prevent ER Admissions
While urgent care clinics fall short of the minimum threshold for emergency care, these facilities play an instrumental role in preventing certain medical situations from becoming life-threatening. That underscores the significance of choosing a top-rated urgent care center.
Medrite Urgent Care is a renowned provider of urgent care services with locations spread across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida. The clinic uses advanced equipment like X-rays to quickly diagnose illnesses and recommend the best treatment plan.
Some of its standout services include on-site laboratory testing, flu shots, pediatric care, orthopedic care, and occupational therapy.
2. You’re Suffering From a Non-Life-Threatening Condition
As already hinted, urgent care focuses on serious but non-life-threatening medical conditions.
A reliable urgent care center should handle most (if not all) of the below issues;
- Mild cuts and Bruises
- Splinters
- Muscle sprains and strains
- Low-to-moderate fever
- Flu-like symptoms
- Mild pain, including back pain and headache
- Allergic reactions
- Asthma attacks
- Upper respiratory symptoms, such as wheezing and labored breathing
- Sore throat
- Ear infections
- Abdominal discomfort
- Persistent nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
- Dehydration
Note that most life-threatening conditions start mildly enough. Therefore, prompt intervention is paramount to prevent the above problems from slipping out of control.
3. Urgent Care Centers Provide Swift Services
Thousands of patients die awaiting admission in hospitals. Some patients often have to wait for eight hours before receiving any medical attention, subjecting themselves to agonizing pain before meeting their untimely demise.
Even if help finally does arrive, the longer wait times may lead to complications and delay the recovery time. And with our healthcare facilities getting strained by the day, we can only expect this grim reality to persist.
Fortunately, many deaths can be avoided by seeking treatment at urgent care facilities.
The queues in urgent care clinics typically move faster than in emergency rooms. This enables patients to be attended to quickly (usually within an hour), improving their chances of recovery.
4. Urgent Care Centers Are Remarkably Convenient
Many urgent care centers are open 24/7 and operate more extended hours than ER facilities, making them more convenient for people seeking on-the-go treatment.
During lunch break, you can check into an urgent care clinic to get a splinter dislodged from your skin, a flu jab, or STD testing services. This convenience allows you to resume your routines uninterrupted.
Urgent care centers are particularly suitable if you’re a busy professional or stay-at-home parent with a long to-do list. Simply hop into a clinic near you and have your condition quickly diagnosed.
If it warrants further probing, the medical professionals will refer you to relevant facilities.
5. Urgent Care Centers Provide Comprehensive Treatments
Urgent care facilities aren’t designed to simply patch up a problem. These clinics go the extra mile to comprehensively address medical conditions.
For starters, urgent care centers partner with different medical consultants. Whether you need an ENT doctor or an occupational therapist, you can find them here.
Besides, urgent care facilities are a one-stop clinic with diagnostic equipment and pharmaceutical drugs. This ensures each condition is conclusively diagnosed and the right medications purchased on the spot.
If an urgent care facility cannot treat your problem, they’ll refer you to their partner ER centers, sometimes arranging evacuation services depending on your condition,
6. Urgent Care Centers Are Affordable
Cost shouldn’t be a primary factor when seeking quality medical services. But when choosing between urgent care and ER for non-life-threatening conditions, you’re better off with the former.
Urgent care visits average $100 – $200, while a single ER visit can set you back upwards of $1,000.
The variance is mostly because ER clinics typically start with routine, urgent care services before recommending intensive treatments.
Some ER facilities are also quick to recommend intensive care, even for non-life-threatening conditions, under the guise of ‘stabilizing the patient’ before releasing them. But as you shall find, many of these decisions are motivated by the bottom line.
Wrap Up
Urgent care facilities were designed to cater to non-life-threatening medical emergencies. However, the chances of full recovery ultimately depend on where you seek treatment. It’s imperative to research extensively before picking a suitable urgent care facility.
Insist on a clinic that provides diverse medical services and employs duly credentialed physicians specialized in different practices. The center should also be equipped with advanced diagnostic and treatment equipment.
Regarding convenience, consider location, accessibility, and hours of operation while looking for the best urgent care clinic for your needs. Don’t forget to read client reviews for more insights into the facility’s reputation and credibility.
