What Medical Treatment Do You Need?
Getting the treatment when you need it is just as vital as getting what kind of treatment you need. Thus, it’s important to know which place to go to for your medical condition. Knowing the difference between, emergency, urgent, or immediate care will tremendously help when you need to get the treatment you require; it will direct you to where you need to turn to for your condition.
In today’s post, we’ll discuss what these different types of medical facilities are and what conditions they focus on treating.
Urgent Care
This is a phrase most commonly used throughout the country. Most of us think it’s the same as immediate care – these two medical facilities are different from each other. Urgent care health centers are better in handling serious medical conditions compared to immediate care centers. However, urgent care facilities are not equipped to treat severe and serious emergencies.
Immediate Care
This treatment option accommodates patients who need to see a medical professional but without a life-threatening or severe emergency condition. These medical conditions typically don’t warrant a visit to the emergency room. There is no appointment necessary in immediate care centers; a walk-in is accepted (and expected) for these non-emergency medical cases. This is because most non-emergency scenarios can and will occur at any time – and yet medical attention and treatment are necessary. It is, however, important to note and bear in mind that immediate care centers are not for emergency medical situations.
Emergency Care
Emergency care facilities are care centers that you visit when you or someone else has an immediate, life-threatening condition. For such scenarios, every second is absolutely crucial – and emergency care centers are better-equipped to handle these situations.
Most ER are attached to hospital or healthcare facilities. They also operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Patients with the most severe and serious conditions must visit the ER. In a facility like this, those with grave conditions are given attention first. However, those with minor and less serious issues might have to wait a while before they are treated. Getting treated at the ER can also get quite costly – compared to visiting an urgent care or an immediate care center.
When Should I Visit the ER?
If you have ingested poisons or any objects, are experiencing difficulty breathing or severe chest pains, have major trauma, severe burns, uncontrolled bleeding, seizures, extreme diarrhea, or bites from any animals such as snakes, etc., then you must go to the emergency room. Furthermore, any incidents of fainting also warrant a visit to the ER. Emergency care centers have the appropriate medical equipment and personnel that can ensure that loss of life is avoided and minimized.
When Should I Visit an Urgent Care Facility or an Immediate Care Center?
If you have minor cuts, flu, sore throat, or any other minor medical needs, pay a visit to either of these two facilities. Aside from saving you time, it could also save you money. Health insurance providers usually pay for minor medical treatments if you get treated at these facilities.
However, if you go to the emergency room for a non-emergency medical scenario, your health insurance provider may not agree to compensate you, which will result in you paying out of pocket. With that being said, you are still allowed to file an appeal and justify that your visit to the emergency room is warranted. According to some data from the government, 40 to 60 percent of medical appeals breeze through.
Additionally, the urgent care and immediate care centers are appropriate to visit especially for after hours when your general medical practitioner’s office is closed. These facilities are helpful in non-emergency scenarios, but medical care and attention are needed all the same. Fortunately, these facilities are open well past the usual working hours. They are also open on weekends and even on public holidays. However, it’s still advisable to call them first and confirm that they are open. To avoid the hassle, always make an inquiry early on. Planning ahead also ensures that you know what to do when an emergency takes place.
Ask your general practitioner for a list of health centers you can visit in case you need to. He or she should be aware of a number of facilities where you can get the medical attention you require – at a reasonable cost. You can also always check online to see what treatment centers are located in your local area.