What belongs in the emergency room
Go to the ER, or call 911, for anything that could kill or permanently harm you in the next few hours.
- Chest pain or pressure, trouble breathing, or blue lips belong in the ER.
- A drooping face, a weak arm or slurred speech means a stroke until proven otherwise.
- Bleeding that will not stop, a deep wound, or a bone visibly out of place belongs in the ER.
- A head injury with confusion, fainting or repeated vomiting belongs in the ER.
- Swelling of the tongue or throat belongs in the ER, as do sudden severe pain in the head or abdomen and thoughts of harming yourself.
For chest pain and stroke signs, call 911 and do not drive yourself. Paramedics begin treatment in the driveway and alert the hospital before you arrive.
What urgent care does well
Urgent care is built for problems that need attention today and will not kill you: sprains and possible minor fractures, cuts that need stitches, sore throats and ear infections, urinary infections, rashes, mild asthma flares, and fevers in otherwise healthy adults. Most clinics have an X-ray machine and basic lab tests, keep evening and weekend hours, and take walk-ins.
What should wait for your own doctor
Medication refills, long-running problems, referrals, checkups and anything that has been bothering you for weeks belong with primary care, where someone knows your history. Call the office first even when you are sick. Many practices hold same-day appointments, and most insurers and many offices run a nurse line that will tell you at two in the morning which door to walk through.
The money
An urgent care visit without insurance typically costs one to two hundred dollars. An ER visit commonly runs well past a thousand, and insurance copays follow the same proportions. Check that the urgent care is in your network before you need it. Beware the freestanding emergency room, which sits in a shopping center, looks like an urgent care clinic, and bills like a hospital. The word "emergency" on the sign tells you which one you are entering. Federal law does bar surprise out-of-network bills for true emergency care, so never let network worries delay a real emergency.
Note For a swallowed medication, chemical or unknown substance, Poison Control answers at 1-800-222-1222 around the clock at no charge, and can often tell you whether you need the ER at all.
