When you are sick or injured, it can be hard to know where to go for medical care. While you might think an ER is the only option, you may be surprised to learn that there are several other options.
It is important to choose a clinic that accepts your insurance plan. Additionally, make sure to read patient reviews to ensure that you are choosing a reputable clinic.
Convenience
When it comes to convenience, urgent care clinics have the upper hand. They are open later and often on weekends, making it easy to fit treatment into your busy schedule. For instance, a Medical Center Belvidere, IL also has a lower overhead and is more cost-efficient than hospitals, meaning you’ll pay less for your visit.
If you visit an ER with a non-life-threatening condition, you’ll likely face a long wait time because the emergency room staff prioritizes patients by severity. This can lead to frustration, especially if your issue is not life-threatening.
Freestanding ERs are helping to reduce the strain on local hospital emergency rooms. They help patients who may not need the services of an ER, doctors who are overwhelmed, and administrators who are struggling to keep their doors open.
Less Expensive
A patient will be charged less at a clinic when visiting for an illness or injury than if they visited an ER. The reason for this is that clinics tend to treat a smaller number of patients with less serious health concerns and fewer tests than an emergency room.
While this isn’t always a problem, some people may not know when to go to urgent care or when it would be best to visit the ER instead. This can lead to unnecessary visits to the ER that aren’t covered by insurance and are responsible for running up medical bills.
However, hospital emergency rooms must treat all patients who come to them even if they can’t pay according to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act of 1986 (EMTALA). This makes hospital-based ER doctors nervous about directing their patients to settings with lower levels of care.
Faster Treatment
ERs are designed to treat life-threatening conditions that require immediate care. However, if your symptoms aren’t as severe or don’t fall within the scope of their abilities, you can still receive effective on-demand treatment at a clinic.
For example, let’s say you slice your thumb when chopping strawberries, and it’s bleeding badly. You can head straight to your local urgent care center for on-demand treatment rather than the ER, which is often overcrowded and sees patients on a priority basis according to condition severity. As more people know their options, they bypass the ER and visit walk-in clinics for non-life-threatening emergencies. That’s good news for everyone. It saves patients and healthcare providers time, money, and unnecessary stress.
Licensed Doctors
A medical emergency is scary and stressful. Often, patients don’t know whether their symptoms warrant an ER visit or a trip to the urgent care clinic.
The ER has physicians on call 24 hours a day. They also have round-the-clock access to laboratory and imaging services, and they have specialists in several fields, including cardiology.
Emergency medicine doctors are residency-trained and licensed to treat acute, life-threatening illnesses. It takes 11 years after high school to become an ER doctor, and they spend their entire careers caring for real medical emergencies.
No Wait Time
When an injury or illness strikes, it’s often hard to know where to turn. Should you visit your doctor, go to the emergency room, or opt for urgent care?
Emergency rooms are designed to treat the most severe and life-threatening health issues. They are staffed around the clock, open seven days a week, and equipped with doctors, nurses, surgeons, and extensive medical equipment.
However, because they deal with such a high volume of patients, waiting times can be long. Urgent care clinics operate more like a doctor’s office, so they are usually much quicker to see you and get you treatment. They also take the pressure off local hospital ERs and doctor’s offices that are often overburdened.
We are not doctors and this is in no way intended to be used as medical advice and we cannot be held responsible for your results. As with any product, service or supplement, use at your own risk. Always do your own research before using.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.