Fortunately, there are currently several options for medical care, including urgent care, the emergency room, the doctor’s office, and specialists’ offices. With so many options, how do you know which facility you should use and when? You don’t want to waste your time and money visiting one place only to be referred somewhere else, especially when you are dealing with an illness. Find out more about each facility and when you should use it below.

Your Regular Healthcare Provider

You can see your regular healthcare provider for regular checkups or health concerns that are not urgent or emergencies. You can get an annual wellness check or physical form your regular doctor, discuss medications, and more.

Specialists

You may need to see a specialist if you have a health issue that requires more in-depth diagnosis or treatment than your regular healthcare provider is able to give you. If this is the case, your primary care physician will often refer you to a specialist. You will need an appointment, and some health insurances and specialists require a referral from your primary care physician before you can go see the specialist.

Emergency Room

The emergency room is for exactly what it says in its name: emergencies. To take this a step further, the emergency room is really for when you have a life-threatening medical emergency or think you may require emergency surgery. 

Urgent Care

Urgent care is for non-life-threatening medical needs that require immediate attention. If you can’t or don’t want to wait for an appointment with your regular physician, visiting your local urgent care center is normally your best option. You can also visit your urgent care center for a variety of other treatments, including flu shots, STD testing, physicals, x-rays, and more. An urgent care center is great for when you are short on time and have pressing healthcare needs. 

Often patients make the mistake of waiting to see their regular healthcare provider instead of visiting an urgent care center, allowing their illness to worsen in the meantime. This can be dangerous in cases where the illness can worsen from mild to life-threatening quickly, such as with the flu, which can turn into pneumonia and be fatal. Patients may also make the mistake of going to the emergency room when they could have gotten the treatments they needed at an urgent care center just as quickly and for half the price. 

Knowing which healthcare option is best suited for your medical needs before you need it is vital to taking care of yourself and others. When in doubt, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Don’t hesitate to get urgent medical care; it can mean the difference between an easier or harder overall lifestyle.