(ER or Urgent Care? first appeared in the Public Opinion Newspaper in October 2015.) When illness or injury strikes, how do you know where to go for care? Matt Pilkerton, Physician’s Assistant at Keystone Urgent Care in Chambersburg, shares how to decide whether to go to an emergency room or urgent care center when you need treatment. 
ER vs. Urgent Care
In a life threatening medical emergency, it’s important to call 911 or go straight to an emergency room (ER), but what if you need medical care for something that’s not life threatening? Your family doctor is the best place for routine medical care because they know your health history; but if you are unable to see your primary care doctor or you want to be seen immediately, an urgent care center is a suitable option.
Urgent Care is for…
Urgent care centers are capable of treating anyone from pediatrics to geriatrics; however, the severity of your condition determines where you should go for care. Urgent care centers can treat conditions such as colds and flus, mild to moderate infections, bites and stings, sprains, strains, fractures, lacerations, dehydration, and other minor illnesses or injuries. Most urgent cares also offer x-ray services, splinting, and perform minor procedures.
When the ER is Necessary
If an urgent care provider feels treatment in an ER is necessary, a patient is immediately stabilized and sent to the nearest hospital. The following conditions should be treated in an emergency room: strokes, heart attacks, blood clots, severe abdominal pain, severe anaphylaxis, severe respiratory distress, sepsis, major and complex fractures, severe head trauma, severe uncontrolled bleeding or change in mental status.
Check Your Insurance
Typically urgent care centers are more affordable for patients and most insurances offer lower co-pays for urgent care visits compared to ER visits. Some insurance plans, however, require patients to have referrals from their primary care doctor prior to being seen at an urgent care or they may not pay for the visit. On average, urgent care visits are much faster and don’t require the additional resources that many ER visits do.
Payment
Unlike the emergency room, some urgent care centers are privately owned and operated and have the right to refuse treatment based on a patient’s ability to pay. Keystone is a federally qualified health center and their urgent care center follows the mission of not refusing care to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay. Keystone also offers an outreach program that assists patients who do not have insurance and offers a reduced-fee program for services.
For more information about Keystone Urgent Care, click here.
