Urgent Care vs. Emergency Room: Choosing the Right Facility for Your Needs

UrgentCarevs.

EmergencyRoom

Deciding between an urgent care facility and the emergency room depends largely on the type of illness or injury you have.

Put simply, the ER is meant to provide fast, life-or-limb-saving care.

Conditions like a common cold or skin rash can be treated at an urgent care facility, while more serious conditions and life-threatening situations require emergency medical attention.

Urgent CareEmergency Room

Urgent care treats a wide variety of non-life-threatening illnesses and conditions.

Go to urgent care for:

• Colds/flus/respiratory infections • Ear infections• Bladder infections• Sprains• Kidney stones• Urinary tract infections• STD treatment• Vaginal bleeding of unknown cause• Pregnancy diagnosis• Athlete’s foot• Poison ivy/poison oak

The ER treats all life-threatening emergencies, but sometimes it may be unclear when to go to the ER for a non-life-threatening emergency.

Go to the ER if you have:

• Major flesh wounds (lacerations)• Broken bone(s)• Heart attack/stroke symptoms• Life-threatening allergic reactions (such as anaphylaxis)• Blow to the head• Serious burn• Severe pain in your side

129.8 Million

There are approximately

ER visits per year in the U.S.13.3% of these visits result in a hospital admission.

Approximately 14% - 27% of all emergency room visits could have been handled by an urgent care center.

The average ER wait time is

200 minutes (3.3 hours).

The average cost of a visit to the ER is $1,200.

There are around 9,000 urgent care centers nationwide.

75% of urgent care centers are located in the suburbs.

California, Florida, and Texas have more urgent care facilities than

other states.

The average urgent care wait time is 15 minutes, and 69% of urgent care centers have a wait time of less than 20 minutes.

The average cost of a visit to urgent care is $200.

The Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA) and the American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine (AAUCM) have established criteria for urgent care centers and the physicians who operate them. These criteria state that urgent care centers must:

• Be open 7 days a week• Accept walk-in patients during business hours• Have diagnostic equipment on-site, including an

X-ray machine and phlebotomy (blood-drawing) equipment

• Have multiple exam rooms• Perform minor medical procedures and treat a

broad spectrum of illnesses• Have a licensed physician operating as the

medical director

• Both urgent care facilities and emergency rooms generally accept private insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare.

• The Xpress Costa Mesa urgent care clinic, for example, accepts HMOs (that are not designated to a specific group) and PPO plans with many carriers, as well as Medicare.

• Some urgent care centers and other medical facilities offer payment plans for patients who are paying out-of-pocket.

Conveniently located in Costa Mesa, California near Newport Beach, the Xpress Urgent Care clinic is designed to expedite patients’ medical needs. Our modern facility features state-of-the-art equipment, and no appointment is necessary. We treat kids and adults of all ages, and our short wait times and caring professional staff are what make us unique. Visit xurgentcare.com for hours and directions, or call us at 949-548-8400.