AFC Urgent Care vs. Emergency Rooms in Downingtown, PA

When You Should Use an Urgent Care Center Instead of an ER.

Illnesses and injuries strike at the worst times. They never quite do you the courtesy of scheduling their arrival in advance. You might twist your ankle, running upstairs to pick up a ringing phone. You may have sliced your finger while rushing to cut a bagel because you took too long of a shower before work. Perhaps you are awakened by a crying child with a high fever or called by their school at work to inform you they have taken ill.

No one wants to spend hours in an emergency room with a sore, swollen ankle, a bleeding finger, or a crying child. And at that moment, no one is picturing the hefty medical bill that will arrive in your mailbox weeks later.

Emergency rooms are vital resources in communities and provide life-saving services. However, these facilities are often used by those not suffering a critical medical emergency. This often causes delays in ER waiting rooms.

Federal law requires ERs to provide care to all patients that visit the facility, regardless of their ability to pay. ERs are placed under tremendous financial strain when uninsured patients do not have the resources to pay their out-of-pocket costs for medical care. One study suggests that the average cost of the ten most common types of visits to the ER is about $1,500. The general population could save around $18 billion a year if they visited an urgent care center with their nonlife-threatening problems instead of going to an emergency room for their medical needs.

Nearly three-fourths of Americans say their primary care doctor is not available at night or on the weekends. With their primary source of care unreachable, many patients assume their only option is visiting the ER for all of their medical needs, including things like x-rays, strep throat, and stitches for minor lacerations. AFC Urgent Care Downingtown closes the gap between the emergency room and your primary care doctor.

When to utilize AFC Urgent Care Downingtown facilities instead of an ER:

AFC Urgent Care

• Abdominal Pain
• Asthma
• Back Pain
• Bleeding from accidents, cuts, or falls
• Broken bones
• Ear pain
• Eye irritation
• Fever
• Migraine
• Minor Car Accidents
• Skin rashes
• Sprains or strains
• STD tests or treatment
• Sore throat
• Urinary burning
• Vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration

Emergency Room

• Amputations
• Breathing Obstruction
• Major Car Accidents
• Convulsions or seizures
• Difficulty breathing
• Drug overdose
• Knife or gunshot wound
• Loss of limb or severely broken bone
• Poisoning
• Pregnancy – severe abdominal pain
• Seizures/Convulsions
• Serious head, neck, or back injury
• Suspected Heart Attack or Stroke
• Unconsciousness

Medical debt is one of the top causes of bankruptcy in the United States. The top three reasons for visits to the emergency room are strains, superficial cuts, and upper respiratory infections. All three of these medical concerns can be easily handled at our walk-in urgent care center in Downingtown for a fraction of the cost and time.

AFC Urgent Care Downingtown is available to treat you for all of your nonlife-threatening medical concerns. We accept most major insurances and have affordable self-pay options for the uninsured. We are here to help you feel better and get back on your feet without breaking your budget.

Formerly AFC Doctors Express

Other Services You May Need

• Coronavirus
• Cold, Allergy & Sinusitis Treatment
• Digital X-Ray
• DOT Physicals Exam
• Drug Testing
• Employer Services
• Flu Shots
• Immigration Physical Exams
• Lab Work
• Lyme Disease Treatment
• Occupational Health
• Poison Ivy Diagnosis & Treatment
• Pre-Employment Physicals
• Ringworm Treatment
• Sore Throat Diagnosis & Treatment
• Sports Injuries
• Sports & Camp Physicals
• Sprains, Strains & Broken Ankles
• STD Testing
• STD Treatment
• Telemedicine
• Tick Bites
• Travel Medicine
• Workers' Comp Care
• Yearly Physical Exams