Urgent Care vs Emergency Room
When to Use Urgent Care
Urgent care (also known as Immediate Care) is your best option for most acute illnesses and non-life-threatening injuries.
Urgent care is also useful if you run out of your prescription medication and can’t get in to see your primary care physician quickly for a refill. Our urgent care is also able to provide physical exams for school, sports, employment or DOT.
- Colds
- Flu
- High fever
- Pink eye
- Eye injuries
- Burns
- Injury from falls or while taking blood thinners
- Bladder infections
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Stomach pain
- Sprains
- Strains
- Fractures
- Lacerations (cuts)
- Etc.
Urgent care is also useful if you run out of your prescription medication and can’t get in to see your primary care physician quickly for a refill. Our urgent care is also able to provide physical exams for school, sports, employment or DOT.
When to Go to the Emergency Room
- Severe chest pain (I think I’m having a heart attack)
- Fracture with bone sticking out of the skin
- Paralysis
- Head injury with loss of consciousness
- Loss of consciousness for unknown reason
- Difficulty breathing
- Suspected poisoning or drug overdose
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Uncontrollable bleeding
- Major trauma
- Serious lacerations with threat of loss of body part
Advantages of Urgent Care vs Emergency Room
While emergency rooms can treat any of the problems that can be handled in urgent care settings, there are some real advantages for using urgent care when your illness or injury is not severe or life-threatening.
Urgent Care centers are setup to assist patients with an illness or injury that does not appear to be life –threatening, but also can’t wait until the next day, or for primary care doctor to see them. Urgent care does not replace your primary care physician. An urgent care center is a convenient option when someone’s regular physician is on vacation or unable to offer a timely appointment. Or, when illness strikes outside of regular office hours, urgent care offers an alternative to waiting for hours in a hospital Emergency Room.
Urgent Care
- Lower Cost (up to 90% less than ER)
- Lower Co-Pay if you have insurance
- Shorter waiting time (15-45 minutes)
- Less paperwork
- Comfortable, pleasant environment
Emergency Room
- Much higher cost than Urgent Care (multiple charges for visit, doctor, facility fee, radiology fee, etc.)
- Higher Co-Pay (depending on the hospital)
- 3 to 6 hours or more waiting to be seen
- More paperwork
- Hectic, noisy, impersonal
Urgent Care centers are setup to assist patients with an illness or injury that does not appear to be life –threatening, but also can’t wait until the next day, or for primary care doctor to see them. Urgent care does not replace your primary care physician. An urgent care center is a convenient option when someone’s regular physician is on vacation or unable to offer a timely appointment. Or, when illness strikes outside of regular office hours, urgent care offers an alternative to waiting for hours in a hospital Emergency Room.
If you do not have a primary care physician, QwikCareMD also offers Comfort Care Family Practice which is currently accepting new patients in Colorado Springs, Fountain, Pueblo and surrounding areas. Comfort Care Family Practice is dedicated to providing you with personal medical care, emphasizing in preventive health and wellness. Our office is well equipped and our staff are dedicated health professionals to help you and your family achieve your best health possible. If you are new to southern Colorado or looking for a new medical home then we can help you.