CHAMBERTHINK COLUMN
Urgent Care Vs
the Emergency Room
Where should you go?
T
he concept of urgent care clinics is a fairly new one which has gained popularity within the past twenty five or
so years. Consequently, there is often confusion regarding where one should go: the urgent care center, or the
emergency room. Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules to follow, but hopefully this article may provide
some guidelines.
Typically urgent care centers are staffed with generalists, doctors or mid-level providers with a breadth of training that
prepares them to treat a wide ranging set of health problems in the pediatric, adult and geriatric populations. Most
urgent care centers are open late, on weekends and most holidays and offer on-site laboratory and x-ray services.
Some, like Promptu, also offer supplemental services such as occupational health and worker’s compensation,
sports physicals and immunizations. For small lacerations, simple sprains or fractures with no protruding bones,
fevers, flu, and many instances of nausea or diarrhea, the urgent care center will ably diagnose and treat you, often
with less wait and lower cost than a trip to the ER.
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BUSINESS MATTERS | FALL 2018