Immediate Medical Care: ER or Other Options?
When you need immediate medical care, the first line of advice has traditionally been, “Go to the nearest emergency room.” But is that advice the best course of action? With visits to the ER at an all-time high, wait times have skyrocketed. And emergency room treatments for non-emergency medical conditions contribute to the rising cost of our healthcare. So what are other care settings, and how do you determine which is best?
Alternatives to ER Care
Unless it’s a true emergency, you’ll likely get quicker medical care at other care settings such as an urgent care center, retail health clinic or walk-in doctor’s office. Use these options, where available, when you need medical care quickly, but can’t see your regular doctor. These conveniently located, licensed and accredited care settings are staffed with doctors, nurses and physician’s assistants. So you’ll get quality care, and you’ll often pay much less than you would for emergency care. And they’re usually open evenings, weekends and sometimes holidays, and can cost about the same as a doctor visit.
- Urgent care center: These clinics can usually handle problems that need immediate attention but aren’t life-threatening or emergencies, like stitches, sprains and x-rays.
- Retail health clinic: Many major pharmacies and retail stores now have these walk-in clinics staffed by medical professionals. Go there when you need convenient, routine care, like for coughs and flu shots.
- Walk-in doctor’s office: No appointment is needed at these offices, and you usually aren’t required to be an existing patient. This alternative is a good choice when you need simple medical care in a hurry, like for mild asthma or minor allergic reactions.
