Primary care vs. Urgent Care vs. Emergency Room: Which Healthcare System Fits Your Need?
Our healthcare system today has transformed. As a patient seeking medical services, you have options to choose from as to where you can go to get medical assistance.
This is a massive improvement in terms of medical service delivery. However, it can be quite overwhelming, especially if you are feeling ill and do not know the right facility to go to for medical attention.
It is vital to go to the right facility for treatment. If you happen to choose the wrong facility, you might end up having to wait for hours before your issue is resolved or spend lots of money to resolve a small problem.
What Options Are Available to Choose From?
Urgent Care Health System
Urgent care facilities are equipped to handle urgent but non-life threatening medical emergencies. These facilities were established to take the pressure off emergency rooms.
The emergency rooms were being overwhelmed by the number of patients coming in with both life-threatening and non- life-threatening medical issues. Urgent care facilities took over dealing with the non- life-threatening conditions to decongest the emergency rooms.
It is not uncommon to find our emergency room near you thronged with several patients at a go all seeking medical attention.
Therefore if you show up at an emergency room with a non-life threatening medical condition such as a sore throat, you will likely be benched at the triage and will have to wait for hours to see a doctor.
What Medical Issues Can be Treated In An Urgent Care Facility?
These are some of the medical conditions that can be addressed in our Urgent care in Riverside, Austin:
- Cuts and lacerations
- Minor bone fractures
- Strep throat
- Sprains
- Upper respiratory infections
- Flu and common colds
- Ear infections
- Urinary tract infections
- Stomach upsets
- Nausea and vomiting
- Mild allergic reactions
- Rashes
- Abdominal pain
If you are faced with an urgent but not life-threatening condition like the above, then visiting urgent care near you could be your best choice.
Primary Care Facilities
Primary care facilities are equipped to follow up on your long term overall health. Primary care physicians can treat already diagnosed and ongoing health conditions. These are the facilities you visit for your regular checkups.
Primary care is a perfect choice for you if you are faced with a medical issue that is a non-emergency.
Your primary care provider will most likely have your current medical history because your regular or annual checkups are conducted in these facilities.
These physicians can also help you secure specialty care when need be; by providing you with referrals, you need to get medical attention.
Primary care facilities form an essential part of the health care system because they provide patients with continued medical care, despite what medical issues may develop along the way.
Primary care facilities may offer:
- Diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases
- Health maintenance
- Promote proper health and wellness
- Preventive health care
- Counseling services
- Diagnosing and treating acute medical conditions
Emergency Rooms
Emergency rooms near you are equipped to handle all life-threatening medical conditions, or conditions that could result in permanent damage.
If you visit our Express ER in Austin and your medical issue does not match this criterion, you might be forced to endure a long waiting period as we focus on life-threatening issues.
It is essential, therefore, to understand and categorize your medical condition appropriately. Not only will doing so save you time but also money.
Emergency rooms have been known to be a little more costly than urgent care facilities irrespective of the severity of your medical condition.
What Medical Conditions Can be addressed in An Emergency Room?
These are some of the medical conditions that can be handled in our 24-hour emergency care in Austin TX:
- Shortness of breath
- Broken and dislocated bones
- Excessive bleeding
- Strokes
- Chest pains
- Persistent high fevers
- Head trauma
- Fainting and loss of consciousness
- Seizures that are not associated with epilepsy
- Severe burns
- Severe abdominal pain
- Poisoning
- Heart attacks
- Drug overdose
- Suicidal or homicidal thoughts
- Blood in vomit, and bowel movements, sputum, and urine
- Severe allergic reactions
All the conditions above are life-threatening and can be addressed promptly within an emergency room.
At Austin Express ER, you are guaranteed that your medical condition will be resolved swiftly and professionally.