05/15/2024
What exactly is the difference between urgent care and the emergency room? When it comes to costs, the difference is clear. Let's break it down.
A visit to the Emergency Room can set you back an average of $2100 with out of pocket measured in several hundred dollars or more. ER costs can climb to several thousand or higher for specialist referrals.
At CommunityMed Urgent Care, our average visit is $199 with out of pocket often around $50 with insurance.
So, when should you choose urgent care over the ER?
If it's a life-or-limb-threatening situation, the emergency room is the place to go. If there is an injury so profound you are considering an ambulance in fear of losing consciousness or damage to eyesight or limbs, go to the emergency room.
For routine illnesses and injuries, our urgent care clinics are here for you.
From boo boos to broken bones, sniffles to stitches, we care for the whole family. We have an x-ray on site at all clinics, and our medical practice is staffed with practitioners experienced in the ER. https://CommunityMedCare.com
What about the emergency room that is not attached to the hospital? If the name of the facility has ER or Emergency in the name, it is a licensed emergency room with the full emergency room costs.
***Be wary of combined ER and Urgent Care facilities.***
Some facilities that have ER AND urgent care combined. There is a BIG economic incentive for them to define your urgent care visit as an ER visit and charge you much more for it. For example - they could see you for urgent care of an injury, but move you to an ER visit if it involves a broken bone or stitches. Visits like PCR illness testing, and even regular visits outside of normal business hours, can all be pushed into an emergency room designation by these combination practices to cost you thousands.
CommunityMed Urgent Care treats broken bones and stitches every day at a much lower cost. We test and treat illnesses late and on the weekends, without the higher costs of the emergency room.
Many ERs that are hospital affiliated will push you to use their hyper-expensive specialists for any necessary specialist follow up (such as an orthopedic physician for a broken bone).
CommunityMed maintains a list of specifically vetted specialists that have agreed to see our patients faster and without the hospital ER overhead. There are occasions where we will diagnose a patient as really needing ER care, and will get you referred to an ER to get you the higher acuity treatment.
The safe bet for illness and non-critical injury is to come to CommunityMed Urgent Care. Why pay so much more at an ER when you can get fast, friendly care at CommunityMed?
Visit us today and experience convenient, affordable, and compassionate healthcare.
Visit us today at https://communitymedcare.com
