Urgent Care vs. Emergency Room: How to Choose

When you are experiencing a sudden medical problem or your child is sick, it can be challenging to navigate your options for care. Emergency rooms (ERs) and urgent care clinics both offer convenient care with extended hours, but which is the right choice for you? Understanding the difference between these two types of care will enable you to make the right choice based on your condition.

When you need prompt, personalized care for you and your family, choose ClearChoiceMD. With 20 locations across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, we are ready to provide you with top-tier care close to home.

If you are having a health emergency that may be life-threatening, call 911 or visit an ER right away.

Urgent Care vs. ER: How to Choose

We offer fast treatment for a wide range of non-life-threatening medical issues. For those times when you don't need an ER level of care, but primary care offices are closed, ClearChoiceMD Urgent Care is an excellent choice.

What Can an Urgent Care Do?

ClearChoiceMD offers high-quality care for a wide variety of injuries and illnesses, including:

• Cuts and Wounds

Our experienced providers can rapidly treat non-emergency injuries like scrapes, cuts, bruises, and minor burns. Our wound care services include stitches and Tetanus shots.

•  Fractures

Onsite X-ray capabilities enable our providers to rapidly diagnose and treat uncomplicated fractures (broken bones that don't require surgical intervention).

• Ear, Nose, and Throat Problems

Urgent care is a good choice for medical issues like allergies, sinus infections, sore throat, and earaches.

• Cold and Flu

We are equipped to treat many viral illnesses, including the common cold and influenza (flu).

• Respiratory Problems

When you are having a respiratory infection or breathing problem, our experienced providers are here to help. We can treat many conditions, including asthma, COPD, pneumonia and bronchitis.

• Gastrointestinal Issues

Digestive issues can be uncomfortable and have a variety of causes. If you're experiencing nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, or diarrhea, we can help to diagnose and treat the problem.

• Urinary Concerns

From urinary tract infections (UTIs) to STIs, our caring providers can provide testing and treatment for a wide variety of urinary issues.

These are just some illnesses and injuries we can treat in urgent care. Our experienced providers can care for people of all ages, from infants to older adults. When you visit ClearChoiceMD, you can expect personalized care. Our outstanding staff will make you comfortable and ensure you see a provider quickly. Emergency rooms can be crowded, and wait times are often long. Providing prompt care in a welcoming setting is part of what makes ClearChoiceMD a trusted choice for care.

With onsite labs and diagnostic imaging services that include X-ray and EKG, we can perform a wide range of tests and diagnostics, enabling our providers to accurately identify your condition and begin the appropriate treatment.

ClearChoiceMD also offers convenient virtual visits for patients in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.

When to Visit the ER vs. Urgent Care

Though urgent care can effectively treat a wide spectrum of medical problems, it is essential to understand that it is distinct from emergency care. An emergency room is equipped to treat life-threatening injuries or illnesses. An ER is the best choice for critical and complex conditions, such as heart attacks, strokes, respiratory failure, septic shock, severe bleeding, or traumatic injuries. You should go to the ER vs. urgent care for symptoms like:

• Chest pain.
• Severe shortness of breath.
• Stroke symptoms (speaking problems, inability to walk, facial weakness, extreme headache).
• Loss of consciousness.
• Seizures.
• Large burns.
• Significant bleeding.
• Traumatic injuries or motor vehicle accidents.
• Extreme abdominal pain.
• Drug or medication overdose.

Not every scenario requires emergency room care, however. If you are having a medical problem that your primary care provider could typically treat, visit urgent care instead of the emergency room.

Urgent Care vs. ER: How Are They Different?

In addition to being best for different scenarios, urgent care and ER differ in other important ways. Two key differences between these two types of care relate to wait times and cost.

Wait Times: ER vs. Urgent Care

Emergency rooms care for patients with many medical problems, ranging from the flu to septic shock. To ensure that those who are acutely ill or have life-threatening conditions receive medical attention quickly, emergency rooms use a process called triage. Patients with milder illnesses or injuries are seen after those with more emergent problems.

Triage is a necessary part of how emergency rooms operate. If you visit the ER for a less emergent problem, you can typically expect a long wait time. If you choose urgent care instead, you can expect to see a provider far more quickly. ClearChoiceMD offers walk-in visits and short wait times. When you or your family member is sick, the prompt, streamlined service available at urgent care can make all the difference.

For wait times measured in minutes rather than hours, choose ClearChoiceMD when you need care.

Urgent Care vs. Emergency Room: Cost Effectiveness

The cost of emergency room care is quite high. In addition to a substantial base fee for your visit, medications, testing, and diagnostic imaging will add to your overall visit cost. Though the total will vary depending on your medical condition, it can be substantial.

In contrast, visiting an urgent care is much more cost-effective. Though the cost of your visit will vary based on the services you receive, you can expect it to be much less than an ER visit.

At ClearChoiceMD, we work to ensure you can receive affordable care when you need it. We work with most insurance plans, but you don’t need coverage to receive high-quality care from one of our providers.

ClearChoiceMD: Rapid Care When You Need It

We hope that understanding what urgent care is will help you decide when to choose urgent care vs. an emergency room. Many medical problems can be handled by our experienced urgent care providers, saving you long waits and higher fees. We are open seven days a week, and no appointment is necessary. Visit one of our convenient locations today to experience prompt, personalized care near you.