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Building Better Healthcare Habits

Friday, October 9, 2009

Emergency rooms have often been mistakenly utilized for urgent care needs. By definition, an emergency is a dangerous situation that occurs suddenly and requires immediate action. Therefore, emergency rooms should be used only for injuries and illness that cannot be dealt with properly in a doctor’s office. Urgent care facilities are equipped to take care of illnesses and injuries that require medical attention but are not life-threatening. Some symptoms that may be treated at an urgent care facility are fever, earache, nausea/vomiting, flu, dizziness, sprains, minor cuts that may or may not require stitches, and fractured bones

Emergency rooms are not always the fastest choice for medical care needs- and certainly NOT the most cost-effective.

Below are some examples of why you might want to select an urgent care rather than the emergency room:

Urgent Care Facility Emergency Room
Example 1: You break your arm
Typical wait time = 30 minutes
Most insurance accepted
Your cost = $450.00* 		Typical wait time = 3 hours or more
Most insurance accepted
Your cost = $1787.00*
Example 2: You need stitches
Typical wait time = 30 minutes
Most insurance accepted
Your cost = $275.00* 		Typical wait time = 3 hours or more
Most insurance accepted
Your cost = $976.00*
Example 3: You have the flu or just not feeling well
Typical wait time = 30 minutes
Most insurance accepted
Your cost = $65.00* 		Typical wait time = 3 hours or more
Most insurance accepted
Your cost: $156 * for triage only. If seen by a physician, additional fees may apply
*Example prices ONLY. These are not quotes for actual healthcare costs.

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