It’s a Wednesday afternoon, and you’ve fallen on a rickety ladder or cut yourself while peeling vegetables. This is more than your doctor can handle. You know that you need to go to either urgent care or the ER. But which one? It’s time to consider ER vs urgent care by cost, treatment options, and the time it takes to be seen. We want to provide you with a comprehensive view to make an informed decision.
The True Cost Breakdown
It can be difficult to get a true cost breakdown of going to the emergency room versus going to urgent care. Neither option lists its prices on its website, and there are many factors that can affect your final bill. Let’s take a closer look at both.
Emergency Room Costs
In the emergency room, you’re not only paying for the care that you receive but also for the convenience of having everything you need to save your life, diagnose a condition, and treat it. A trip to the emergency room is always going to be extremely expensive compared to a visit to urgent care.
Urgent Care Costs
Urgent care has lower overhead costs, from the sizing of the building to the number of staff members needed to run it. When you have a minor injury or don’t feel like yourself, urgent care is always going to be your affordable option in NYC.
Beyond the Dollar: Key Benefits of Urgent Care
More than saving you money, there are other benefits that you can enjoy when you choose urgent care. You save time while getting the scope of services you need for a minor emergency. Learn more:
Time Savings
Emergency rooms will always put patients with life-threatening injuries or illnesses ahead of mild or moderate ones, meaning you can spend hours or the better part of the day waiting to be seen. At an urgent care clinic, most people have mild to moderate issues, meaning you’ll spend less time waiting to be seen.
Appropriate Care and Scope of Service
An urgent care center is set up to provide appropriate care and a specific scope of services for minor to moderate illnesses and injuries. Their comprehensive equipment, testing capabilities, and educated staff ensure that they’re ready to handle your urgent medical needs.
When to Choose Urgent Care: Common Conditions Treated at ModernMD Urgent Care
You want to know that you’re making the right choice between an ER or urgent care visit. Some of the most common conditions treated at urgent care are:
- Minor to moderate injuries
- Needs lab testing
- Covid testing and treatment
- Pediatric urgent care
- Physicals and exams
- Women’s healthcare
- Mild to moderate illness
- Occupational therapy
When to Choose the ER
There are times when a visit to urgent care isn’t enough, and you’ll need an emergency room. For the most part, cases that need an ER are life-threatening and more severe. These include:
- Possible stroke
- Possible heart attack
- Life-threatening injuries
- Possible surgical candidate
Making the Savvy Choice in NYC
When the unexpected occurs, and you need emergency medical care, you have your choice between an ER and an urgent care facility. As long as your wounds or illness aren’t too extensive or disruptive, your best bet is always going to be to seek treatment at urgent care. It will cost you less money, and you won’t have to wait in an overcrowded waiting room. From X-ray machines to stitch kits, an urgent care can treat many easy-to-moderate medical cases. Contact us today.
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