These days, choosing where to turn for medical care can seem like a complex puzzle. Does your health issue need emergency care, or could it wait?
When you’re making that decision, there are many considerations. With the cost of nearly everything on the rise, you probably have an eye on your wallet. With a schedule that’s packed to the gills, you probably want the option that’s going to save you time.
And sometimes, you have to consider that neither the cost nor your time is the biggest issue. When you have a true emergency, you need prompt medical care, regardless of what it costs in time or money.
How can you make the decision that’s best? When you’re facing a health issue and are uncertain about where to turn for care, consider the three S’s: the situation, your symptoms, and the severity of your symptoms.
Eying the Situation
First, set the scene. What happened?
In certain situations, it’s important to seek emergency care even if you aren’t necessarily feeling seriously ill or injured. That’s because a problem could be lurking under the surface.
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) says to seek emergency care if:
- You burn yourself.
- You choke.
- You’re coughing or vomiting up blood.
- You experience a near-drowning.
- You have a large or deep wound.
- You inhale smoke.
- You swallow a poisonous substance.
- You were in a motor vehicle accident with any damage.
The situations described above can all be life- or limb-threatening, which means emergency care is needed.
If you have symptoms that aren’t life-threatening, such as a swollen ankle or a sore throat, considering the situation is more about the timing of your symptoms.
If you’ve experienced an injury or signs of an illness on the weekend, for example, you might want to visit an urgent care clinic for a diagnosis and treatment while your primary care provider’s office is closed. That’s also the case if you can’t get an appointment with your PCP in a timely manner—urgent care can offer quicker treatment for your needs.
Consider Your Symptoms
Think through the symptoms you’re experiencing. Certain symptoms automatically merit a trip to the emergency room. Anything that threatens your life, a limb, or your vision fits the bill as an emergency.
The ACEP offers a lengthy list of symptoms that are a red flag that emergency care is needed:
- Changes in mental status
- Chest pain or pressure that lasts for two minutes or longer
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Fainting or a loss of consciousness
- Head or spine injury
- Inability to speak
- Severe abdominal pain or pressure
- Sudden dizziness, weakness, or changes in vision
- Sudden, severe, or unrelenting pain anywhere in the body
- Swelling of the face, eyes, or tongue
- Thoughts of death or suicide
- Uncontrollable bleeding
There are a few other symptoms that are considered emergencies in children:
- Bluish or grey coloration of the skin
- Difficulty eating or feeding
- Fever accompanied by a change in mental status or stiffness in the neck or back
- Inability to stand or walk
- Increased sleepiness
- Lack of alertness or responsiveness
- Seizure
These lists are not all-inclusive. If you are experiencing anything that seems outside of your norm and concerning, it’s better to have your symptoms checked out.
Gauge How Severe Your Symptoms Seem
This one can be a little more challenging to determine if you don’t have medical experience. That’s why it’s best to err on the side of caution if there’s a question about whether your symptoms could be an emergency.
Symptom severity, though, can more easily help you determine when to visit an urgent care clinic and when to see your primary care provider. Most conditions can be diagnosed and treated in both settings, so it’s a matter of whether your symptoms can wait.
If you’re experiencing significant ear pain over the weekend, it’s probably best to visit an urgent care clinic. Providers there can diagnose the underlying cause and get you started on medications to treat the problem.
Same goes for any other symptoms that are causing you intense discomfort and making it hard to go about your day. If you’re experiencing only mild symptoms, on the other hand, it may be worth checking in with your PCP’s office to see if you can be seen in the office within a day or two.
Other Things to Consider
Using the three S’s can help you make a more informed decision about the type of care you need. If you’re experiencing life-threatening symptoms or were in an accident that puts you at high risk of a health emergency, you can skip over the other considerations. Your life and limbs take priority.
If you’re experiencing non-emergent symptoms, you’ll also want to consider the potential costs of care. Whether you have insurance or not, costs will nearly always be higher in an emergency setting. That’s because costs are based on two factors: 1) the expediency of the care and 2) the complexity of care.
Emergency care is at the top. Your insurance copay or coinsurance are probably highest for visiting the emergency room, and the same is true if you’re paying out of pocket. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the average cost of an emergency room visit ranges up to $3,000 and higher.
Urgent care costs usually fall between emergency care and primary care. That’s true for both insurance copays and those who do not have insurance coverage.
Opting for urgent care instead of emergency care—if you’re experiencing non-life-threatening symptoms—can save you hundreds and even thousands of dollars. In most cases, urgent care visits cost in the hundreds of dollars without insurance coverage and less if you’re covered by insurance.
When it comes to determining whether you’d save money by seeing your PCP instead of going to urgent care, you’ll want to dig into the details a little. Many insurance companies offer low copays for PCP visits and higher copays or coinsurance for urgent care visits.
It’s also important to consider the time investment. In an emergency setting, patients are triaged, meaning that those with more serious symptoms are seen first. It can take hours to be seen for non-emergent symptoms, which is why it’s best to go to an urgent care clinic for those needs.
You may also be able to schedule an appointment with an urgent care clinic or your primary care provider, allowing you to determine when it fits best in your schedule.
Emergencies can’t wait. West Tennessee Healthcare is committed to offering high-quality, accessible emergency care throughout our region. Learn more and view wait times here.
