Urgent Care Clinics and standalone Emergency Rooms offer you with care in your neighborhood. However, the services they are able to provide are very different. The new trend of standalone Emergency Rooms has left many unsure of where they should go for medical care.
Before you choose to visit an Urgent Care Clinic of ER consider these three major differences between Urgent Care Centers and Emergency Rooms:
- Severity of Trauma Treated
Urgent Care Centers are designed to offer similar services as a primary care physician, but with more convenient hours and no appointments. Urgent care facilities usually do not have the equipment necessary to treat severe medical situations like: cardiac arrest, major trauma from an accident, broken bones and allergic reactions.
Emergency Rooms are Equipped to Treat Life Threatening Medical Conditions. Urgent Care is Not.
- Access to Medical Resources
Emergency rooms offer a wide variety of services: pharmaceuticals, medical imaging and labs. The on-site facilities are available to help diagnosis and treat medical conditions of a wide variety, including: broken bones, deep lacerations, head trauma, cardiac or respiratory issues and more. Urgent care clinics and centers do not have access to all of the same resources. Most do not offer X-Rays, CT scans or have on site labs. These resources are often necessary to accurately diagnosis a patient’s condition. Standalone emergency rooms have all equipment necessary to quickly and accurately diagnosis any medical emergency.
Emergency Rooms like Advance ER have the Resources to Offer Exceptional Care, Exceptionally Fast.
- Cost of Treatment
Urgent care facilities offer similar services to visiting your regular doctor. It’s no surprise that they also come with a similar price. The average visit to an Urgent Care Clinic costs $71 to $125. This is substantially cheaper than the average visit at a standalone emergency room.
Why Do Standalone Emergency Rooms Cost More?
Standalone emergency rooms are equipped to handle serious medical emergencies. Their staff is specially trained to handle life or death situations, while an urgent care clinic staff is not. Standalone emergency rooms services cost more due to the medical equipment necessary to treat emergencies and their 24/7/365 operating schedule. Being able to provide critical care to patients is more expensive.
Want to Learn More?
For an in depth comparison of Urgent Care Clinics, Hospital Emergency Rooms and Advance ER, check out our comparison chart.
What questions do you have about standalone emergency rooms, urgent care clinics and other treatment options? Ask them in the comments below.
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