Urgent Care Center Vs. Emergency Room – Which Is The Best Choice For You?

Knowing the difference can save you time and help prevent large medical bills.

The easiest way to determine if an urgent care or emergency room is best is to ask yourself why am I going? Each facility is a viable option, but they are equipped to meet different demands. Knowing which to choose can save you and your family a lot of time and money.

Urgent Cares

If you have a non-life-threatening condition that needs immediate attention – an urgent care center is far better for time and cost. Urgent Cares are capable of diagnosing and treating conditions on a walk-in basis. Urgent Cares have extended evening & weekend hours and can provide more complex services than your typical doctor’s office.  In order to avoid the expense of a trip to the ER or the wait time at a primary provider, many cases can best seen and treated in an Urgent Care. Some common conditions which can be treated at an Urgent Care are:

• Abscess Treatment
• Minor Abdominal Pain
• Allergies
• Minor Asthma
• Back/Neck Pain
• Bites
• Burns and cuts
• Colds, coughs, sore throats
• Earaches
• Flu shots, tests and treatments
• Headaches
• Infections
• Rashes, not accompanying fever
• Sprains, strains, minor broken bones

Emergency Rooms

Emergency Rooms are meant for true emergencies.  They are capable of treating anything up to life-threatening conditions, and are typically open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  ERs are capable of handling nearly any type of medical emergency such as:

• Chest pain or discomfort
• Difficulty breathing
• Poison consumption
• Loss of vision
• Uncontrollable bleeding
• Unconsciousness
• Severe allergic reaction that blocks airway
• Seizures
• Shock
• Sudden paralysis
• Visible bone factures
• Drug or alcohol overdose

* Note that this is not a complete list of ailments or conditions that are considered emergencies.  If you believe that you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or visit an ER immediately.

If you are in need of services that can be performed at an Urgent Care, it can provide you with a significant cost and time savings over a traditional emergency room.

Access 365 Urgent Care

Access 365 Urgent Care offers care for patients of all ages, as well as on-site X-Ray and lab diagnostics. For any questions about treatments we provide, or types of injuries or illness that we can treat, please give us a call at (772) 222-5302. We look forward to providing our community with convenient, quality care that not only fits your schedule, but is also an affordable alternative to the emergency room.