Whats the difference between emergency room and urgent care

Whats the difference between emergency room and urgent care

It’s Saturday night, and your child has a fever. Or you are having chest pain. Or you are bleeding from a serious injury. Where should you go for medical care: the emergency department at your local hospital or the urgent care center down the street?

Always call 911 if you think you may be experiencing a medical emergency, such as chest pain or severe bleeding. For other, less-severe medical problems, the landscape can be a little confusing.

Emergency Care

Hospital emergency departments are prepared for every kind of medical emergency, including heart attacks, stroke, motor vehicle crashes, psychiatric emergencies, and other life-threatening conditions. Emergency departments are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year and have special equipment and highly qualified physicians, physician assistants and nurses to respond to every kind of adult or childhood medical emergency. Most are staffed by physicians with specialized training and board certification in emergency medicine.

Some reasons to seek emergency care include: loss of consciousness, severe shortness of breath, facial drooping or weakness in an arm or leg, allergic reactions, chest pain, bleeding that does not stop after 10 minutes, head trauma, seizures, poisoning, severe reaction to insect bites, major broken bones, coughing or vomiting blood, persistent vomiting and suicidal or homicidal feelings.

Emergency physicians have a federal mandate to care for patients regardless of their ability to pay, so you will never be turned away based on your health insurance status.

Urgent Care

Urgent care centers are an option for common medical problems when a physician’s office is closed or unable to provide an appointment. These facilities can be a convenient option to treat minor illnesses and injuries—such as fever, nausea, rashes, and minor bone fractures–often offering extended hours in the evenings and weekends. Many centers also do physical exams, vision and hearing screening, and lab tests and X-rays.

However, urgent care centers are not a substitute for emergency care as they don’t have the same equipment or trained staff that emergency departments have.

Urgent care centers do not have a federal mandate to treat patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Most accept health insurance but require payment at the time of service.

If you have a serious illness or injury, you should go to the closest emergency department. If you go to an urgent care center with a serious illness or injury, you will be sent or transported to a hospital emergency department, which will delay your care.

Access to Care ER101 Public Education Urgent Care

Urgent care clinics provide faster and more affordable health care services than emergency rooms. Although it is preferable to choose an urgent care clinic over an emergency room, if not for the cost difference alone, it may not always be an option. Only emergency rooms can treat people with life-threatening health complications.

While we can treat many types of health conditions here at California Urgent Care Center, you should receive treatment for life-threatening health conditions in an emergency room. Below, we discuss common health conditions that may warrant emergency or urgent care treatment.

Common Emergency Health Conditions

If you have the following symptoms, consider visiting an emergency room:

  • Chest pains or difficulty breathing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chest pains, breathing problems, and weakness are common heart attack symptoms.
  • Slurred speech or weakness on one side. Slurred speech can be a sign of a serious brain complication, such as a stroke. Additionally, weakness or numbness on one side of the body can also be a common stroke symptom.
  • Serious burn injuries. Third-degree burns are more likely to become infected or lead to other serious complications. Second-degree and first-degree burns that cover a wide or vulnerable area of the body can also become very dangerous. Treat serious burn injuries in an emergency room.
  • Severe viral and bacterial infections. Certain viral and bacterial infections can turn deadly without emergency treatment.
  • Major changes in mental state. Urgent care clinics cannot treat severe psychiatric symptoms.

This is not an exhaustive list of health conditions that should necessitate emergency care. Contact a medical professional right away if you are experiencing a health emergency.

When to Go to Urgent Care

Urgent care centers can treat numerous health conditions. We have more information on the types of conditions we treat on our site. Consider coming to see us for health conditions that include:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Ingrown nails
  • Eye and ear infections
  • Eye irritation
  • Urinary tract infections
  • STD symptoms
  • Abscesses
  • Asthma
  • Some accidents and falls
  • Sprains and broken bones
  • Back pain

It can be a costly mistake to visit the emergency room for health conditions that an urgent care clinic can treat. Not only are the wait times much longer in emergency rooms, but the financial costs are also generally more significant. In fact, a trip in an ambulance can cost over $1,200 in many places across the country.

We Offer Urgent Care in Lodi, Stockton, and Manteca

Want to schedule an urgent care appointment? California Urgent Care Center takes patients from all walks of life. We have more information on the types of insurance we accept at our locations. However, you do not need to have insurance to be treated by our staff. We also offer telemedicine appointments. You can reach us by dialing (209) 224-8517 or by using the contact form on our site.

What are the most common urgent care conditions?

Conditions Treated at Urgent Care Centers.
Sore throat..
Colds and flu..
Abdominal pain..
Allergic reactions..
Ear and eye infections..
Sprains and strains..
Fractures and dislocations..
Cuts, wounds, lacerations, and burns..

What to say to get seen faster in an emergency room?

As your friend did, you can always try to drop a big name, like say you're friends with the president of the hospital. In general, if they think you're a VIP (even if you're not), you'll definitely get seen more quickly. ...

What considered urgent?

Life-threatening emergencies, such as a heart attack or serious head injury, require a visit to the emergency department, also called the emergency room (ER). An illness or injury that does not appear to be life threatening but can't wait until the next day should be treated at an urgent care center.