Urgent care centers are becoming more and more popular these days. With everyone always on the go, nobody has time to get sick anymore. And having to wait two weeks to see your primary care physician is a huge pain!
More and more people, instead of suffering for two weeks, are opting to go to an urgent care. They have much more flexible hours, are available on a walk-in basis, and can get you back to your life and feeling better within a matter of hours.
Why choose an urgent care?
An urgent care is a step below going to the emergency room. If you need to go to the doctor, but can’t wait, and it isn’t serious enough for the emergency room, then the urgent care is for you. These facilities are equipped to handle a large variety of medical issues. Whether you have a sinus headache, or need a couple of stitches, they can handle it.
How do I determine whether I need the urgent care or the emergency room?
This chart from Blue Cross Blue Shield shows where certain symptoms can be treated. Knowing where to go for your symptoms can save you a lot of money. For instance, if you’re having back pain, you don’t have to go straight to the emergency room. You can visit the urgent care instead and save yourself a fortune, as emergency room bills can become very expensive very quickly. There are some symptoms that indicate you need to go straight to the ER. They are:
- Signs of a heart attack
- Signs of a stroke
- Shortness of breath
- High fever accompanied by mental confusion and stiff neck (meningitis)
- Vomiting/coughing blood
- Wound that won’t stop bleeding
- Broken bones
- Poisoning
- Sudden severe abdominal pain
- Stab wounds
- Head trauma
- Suicidal thoughts
- Head trauma
How does my insurance look at urgent care visits?
It depends on your individual policy but many insurance companies will treat urgent care visits as doctors office visits. Or they will have a lower co-pay or coinsurance than emergency room visits. It all depends on the urgent care’s billing policy and your insurance company. Luckily, a quick phone call to the urgent care center will answer any questions you have, as they have to deal with insurance companies on a day-to-day basis.
Urgent care centers are becoming more and more convenient due to their service availability, broad spectrum of treatments, and cost efficiency. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call!