(Newswire.net — August 14, 2019) — When it comes to getting medical treatment, you typically have a few options. The first is to schedule an appointment with your regular doctor. Depending on their schedule, this could take a little while. If you’re in need of more immediate assistance, you’ll want to turn to either an urgent care facility, or head over to your nearest emergency room. And while these two things may sound very similar, they actually have a few distinct differences. Knowing the differences between the two can help to ensure you pick the right one when the time comes.
What is an Urgent Care Facility?
Most people have heard of emergency rooms, but not everyone has heard of an urgent care facility. Urgent care facilities are places you can go to for immediate medical help without having to schedule an appointment, much like an emergency room. However, urgent care facilities are often used for more minor issues, and they are not always open 24/7.
Why Would Someone Choose an Urgent Care Facility?
There are a few reasons someone might go to an urgent care facility. For starters, it might be closer to their home. Depending on where you live, you may not have an emergency room nearby. So when you get that bad cut on your hand, or you start feeling extra sick, driving all the way out to an emergency room just wouldn’t make sense. In addition, because urgent care facilities typically deal with more minor issues, the wait times could be less. If you don’t want to spend all day waiting around an emergency room, then an urgent care center could be a better option.
How is an Emergency Room Better?
That being said, there are some situations where you’ll need to go to the emergency room. Urgent care facilities typically aren’t set up for major problems. So, if you’re dealing with something where you absolutely can’t wait around for assistance, you’ll want to head to an emergency room. On top of that, emergency rooms are open at all hours of the day. If you experience a problem in the middle of the night, your nearest urgent care center may not even be open. Essentially, if you need help right away, you’ll want to head to an emergency room, no matter the time of day.
Know What Your Local Options Are
It’s a good idea to know what your options are at all times. You should be familiar with any emergency rooms and urgent care centers within your area. That way you can see which one is closer and use this to help you decide on where to go when the time arrives. It’s also a good idea to know the route to each, just in case you need to drive it in a hurry. This same rule applies whenever you travel somewhere. If you decide to get a house by the ocean for a week, you should know what your medical options are in case something happens to you or someone else. To find your local urgent care facility, head over to your favorite search engine and type in something like “urgent care Pasadena”.
Tips for Visiting an Emergency Room or Urgent Care Facility
Finally, whether you are going to visit an emergency room or urgent care center, there are a few tips you can use to make the process simpler. As we said above, you should first know the fastest way to get there. You should also have the number for both places stored within your phone or written down at home so that you don’t have to spend time searching for them.
Next, you should be familiar with your insurance plan before you go. Does your insurance plan cover trips to that urgent care center? How does it work if you have Medicare Advantage? While it’s unfortunate that you should have to consider costs in the middle of an emergency, you don’t want to be surprised afterward with hidden costs or fees. Talk to your insurance provider to find out exactly what’s covered and where.
Finally, if you remember, bring something to do. You may spend a decent amount of time waiting to be seen, so you’ll want something to occupy your time. Grab your phone charger so you don’t lose battery, or bring along that book you’re reading.
Hopefully you’ll never need to visit an emergency room or an urgent care facility, but if the time comes, you’ll be glad you planned ahead. Hopefully the guide above will help you make your decision and that stressful time will become a little easier.