Walk-in Clinic or Emergency Room?
- Posted On:
Between making appointments and waiting for care, it can be difficult to know when it is appropriate to visit a certain kind of clinic. Take for instance, a walk-in clinic, an urgent care or the Emergency Room. Each of these clinics comes with their own list of services, availability and pricing. To know which clinic to use and when, we look to a great article from Cleveland Clinic.
Emergency Department (ER), Urgent Care or Express Care: Which Do You Need?
You have an urgent health situation that needs attention right away. But where do you go: the hospital's emergency department, urgent care or express care? Here are the answers.
For health emergencies, how do you choose between an emergency department (ER), urgent care or express care?
If you or a loved one has ever had an emergency or urgent health situation — a broken bone, a sprained ankle, pink eye — you may have wondered where to go for treatment. Should you go to a hospital emergency room, an urgent care center or an express care center? What are the differences among these facilities?
These lists can help you decide when you have a true medical emergency that requires an emergency room visit, and when you can safely go to an urgent care or express care center.
The hospital emergency department (ER)
Hospital emergency departments treat all emergency situations, but are especially prepared to treat the most serious injuries and medical situations, including the following:
Heart attack/chest pain.
Stroke/inability to move/sudden paralysis.
Loss of consciousness (passing out).
Bleeding that can’t be stopped.
Large wounds.
Head injuries.
Poisoning.
Emotional or mental health emergency.
Some hospital emergency rooms are also equipped to provide trauma care for people with extremely serious injuries, such as those who have a gunshot wound or who have been in a car accident.
Urgent care
The urgent care center is designed to handle less serious illnesses and medical situations. These are conditions that are not life-threatening but should be treated within 24 hours. These include:
Sprains and strains.
Allergies, especially those that get worse during certain seasons.
Minor cuts and burns.
Express care center
Express care centers provide care for relatively minor conditions, such as:
Earaches.
Rashes.
Muscle strains.
Urgent care and express care centers are walk-in facilities, which means that you don’t need to make an appointment. They are less costly than a hospital emergency room visit, and you can usually be seen more quickly than you would be in an emergency room.
Campbell County Health’s Walk-In Clinic provides services similar to that of an urgent care and an express care center. Open seven days a week and 365 days a year, Walk-in Clinic has an experienced staff of physicians and physician assistants who can treat your whole family with quality care and personal service. Save your spot in line here or visit our website for more information on our services.
Remember that the Walk-In Clinic is not a replacement for your primary care or family physician. Please visit the Find a Provider section for physician information or call 307.688.3636 to schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider.
