Emergency Room vs. Urgent Care Clinic: What’s the Difference?

by | Jan 4, 2018 | Healthcare

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After receiving non-life-threatening injuries from a car accident or other event, people are faced with an important decision: Go to an emergency room or go to a St. Augustine, FL, urgent care clinic? Here are a few differences between the two and some guidance for making the right choice.

Injury Severity

When it comes to trauma, emergency rooms provide services unavailable elsewhere. For severe bleeding or head trauma, for example, it’s important to receive emergency care. For other types of injuries, however, St. Augustine, FL, urgent care clinics can often provide superior services. Those who have broken bones, for example, are often better served by urgent care clinic, which dedicates more time to fully assess the injuries and find the right doctor or surgeon to provide care.

Cost

Cost should be a low priority when it comes to treating injuries. However, it’s worth noting that emergency rooms nearly always result in significantly higher bills. Copays for hospitals are sometimes significantly higher than those for clinics, and those who haven’t met their deductible for the year will have an easier time dealing with St. Augustine, FL, urgent care clinics.

Long-Term Care

Emergency care is an essential component of public health and safety. However, emergency rooms are typically designed for one task: Treating acute and, typically, life-threatening injuries. Other medical clinics more often focus on a patient’s long-term care, which can often take months or even years. When those who’ve been injured first head to a non-emergency medical clinic, they can begin the process of long-term care.

If there’s any question that an injury might severe enough to head to a hospital, it’s important to receive prompt emergency treatment. For most injuries, however, urgent care clinics have a number of advantages.

Injury Care Centers has a network of urgent care in Jacksonville, Orange Park, and Jacksonville. Their expertise in injuries means they provide thorough examinations to help craft a treatment plan early on to get you back to feeling your best as promptly as possible.

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