Urgent Care vs. ER Questions and Answers

Urgent Care is an effective and efficient way for non-emergency medical conditions. American Family Care – Urgent Care is here for your medical needs. Call us today or book an appointment. We are located at 8161 Warren H. Abernathy Hwy. Spartanburg, SC 29301. Our walk-in clinic is open Monday to Friday 8am–8pm and Saturday and Sunday 8am–5pm.

Is Urgent Care faster than ER?

Treatment at an urgent care center can usually be faster than that in the emergency room, but this also depends on the day, the day of the week, the location, whether it is a holiday, etc. An urgent care center will generally treat patients whose condition is of lower acuity, i.e., not an emergency. These conditions usually take less time but could also be a long process, depending on the patient. In most cases, the overall number of people and the complexity of medical issues are much less at urgent care clinics, which results in shorter visit times.

What is the difference between urgent care and emergency care?

A life-saving option for people who are in dire situations, emergency rooms provide immediate medical help when seconds count. Unfortunately, many emergency rooms become overwhelmed with patients seeking aid for non-emergency cases. Urgent care services, thereby, offer ideal solutions for non-life-threatening conditions that still require expert medical care. The primary differences between the two are:

1. The urgent care centers usually handle non-life-threatening conditions such as broken arms or legs and other common health conditions. The emergency centers, on the other hand, provide facilities for life-threatening conditions or situations.
2. The emergency rooms are available 24 hours a day. However, the facilities in urgent care are not open 24 hours a day as almost all the urgent care centers have set times.
3. Unlike treatment in emergency rooms, treatment in urgent care centers is less expensive.

Do I call urgent care or ER?

Urgent care centers handle non-life-threatening situations. Many of them are staffed with doctors and nurses who have access to x-rays and labs on-site. Most urgent care centers are not only open late but also open on weekends and holidays. Choosing an urgent care center over an ER can save you time and money. An urgent care center can treat you for the following conditions:

• Earaches and infections
• Minor cuts, sprains, and burns
• Fever and flu symptoms
• Cough, cold and sore throat
• Animal bites
• Mild asthma
• Urinary tract infections
• Headaches
• Back and joint pain

Emergency rooms are meant for genuine medical emergencies. They can handle life-threatening situations. An emergency room may be the best option if you experience:

• Sudden numbness or weakness
• Disorientation or difficulty speaking
• Sudden dizziness or loss of coordination
• Seizure or loss of consciousness
• Shortness of breath or severe asthma attack
• Head injury/major trauma
• Blurry or loss of vision
• Severe cuts or burns
• Heart attack, chest pain, or chest pressure
• Overdose
• Uncontrolled bleeding
• Coughing or vomiting blood
• Severe allergic reactions

What are the benefits of going to urgent care vs. ER?

Some of the advantages of going to urgent care instead of an ER are:

Speed of service

In many cases, going to an urgent care center can take far less time than a visit to an emergency room would. An emergency room is likely to have a massive variety of people, from people with broken limbs to those with flu. While your intense earache does require attention, it’s probably not an emergency. When you go to an urgent care facility, you’re not likely to wait for several hours, as you would in a hospital waiting area. The true purpose of an emergency room is to help people with life-threatening emergencies, such as cardiac arrest. Such a medical emergency takes much longer to handle than a sprained finger, a respiratory infection, or a skin abrasion. If you avoid the emergency room and go to an urgent care clinic instead, you’ll probably find more staff available to assist you in a timely manner.

Lower cost

If you have ever been to a hospital emergency room, you would be familiar with how expensive such a visit can be. Urgent care clinics are generally much less costly than emergency rooms. If you have an injury or an illness that isn’t potentially fatal, you could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars by going to an urgent care center instead of an emergency room.

Greater convenience

Most urgent care centers are open after business hours and on weekends and holidays. American Family Care – Urgent Care is your best choice for quick and affordable healthcare when you need it most. While this is also true of hospitals, most cities have more urgent care clinics than hospitals. This means that you will probably not need to travel as far to reach an urgent care clinic as you would to get to a hospital. This could save you time and money, and it will also ensure faster treatment overall.

If you need urgent care, then reach out to us through our website and call or book an appointment. American Family Care – Urgent Care is home to a leading team of healthcare professionals and the best in technology and we care about you and your family’s health. We serve the Upstate SC areas of Spartanburg, Boiling Springs, Clemson, Duncan, Easley, Greenwood, and Powdersville.