Urgent care is a helpful resource for you and your family when illnesses or injuries occur. In some situations, you should go straight to the emergency room. However, this is not always the right decision. Not only can emergency room visits cost a lot of money, but there are other options that can give you the care and treatment you need. You can learn a great deal about the difference between these two places and when you should choose one over the other.
Hospital emergency rooms are essential departments for diagnosing and treating serious conditions. Here, doctors and nurses will see patients who have life-threatening conditions due to accidents, injuries, mishaps, trauma or the sudden onset of unknown pain. Also, some conditions should prompt a patient to call 911 and get to the emergency room. These include breathing difficulty, chest pain, choking or serious bleeding. ER personnel’s goal is to control the issue and stabilize the patient.
Urgent care facilities have similarities and differences from the ER. Both of these are good options if the doctor’s office is closed, and both can treat serious conditions. However, the ER should be used when a person’s life is in the balance, while urgent care should be a resource for non-emergency situations. The clinics are typically open late at night but not 24/7. This place can do X-rays and run other smaller tests on patients.
One of the most effective ways to decide whether to go to an urgent care facility is to look at the nature of the ailment. While serious medical conditions can be painful and uncomfortable, if the person is not at risk of dying from it, the ER is not a necessary visit. A patient should head to a clinic if they have a minor illness, and the family doctor is unavailable. Broken bones should also indicate the person should avoid the ER and go elsewhere.
People who are worried about their budget should consider going to an urgent care clinic instead of the ER. The difference in costs can be significant. Wait times are also considerably shorter at clinics than in the emergency room. There are also many more clinics available than there are hospital emergency rooms. Also, these clinics take many insurance plans and are willing to work with patients who may have coverage issues.
It is critical that you understand how these two places work differently. While the ER will not turn you away if you have a non-life-threatening condition, you can salvage your budget by going to an urgent care clinic instead. Get quick and effective help for a wide variety of illnesses and injuries at this facility. If you are still unsure which option makes the most sense, you should speak with your doctor today.
Request an appointment here: https://tx-urgentcare.com or call Texas Urgent Care & Imaging Center at (832) 941-1894 for an appointment in our New Caney office.
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