Urgent Care vs. the Emergency Room: What’s the Difference?

Do you know the best place to go when you’re sick? A Michigan Medicine emergency department physician offers tips to choose the right care.

7:00 AM

Author | Kevin Joy

Knowing where to go after an illness or accident can sometimes be tricky, especially when your primary care doctor is booked — or when you need help after hours.

MORE FROM MICHIGAN: Sign up for our weekly newsletter

Do you head to an urgent care clinic? Or is the situation severe enough to go to the emergency department?

Each option has its place, says Brad Uren, M.D., an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Michigan Medicine.

Choosing one requires self-evaluation. A sinus infection, after all, needn't prompt a trip to the hospital.

"There's an important distinction between a minor injury or complaint and a major injury that requires a whole medical team working together," says Uren.

He spoke about the two types of care and how to pick the right one.

Choosing between urgent care and the hospital

Urgent care can fill in for your regular doctor: The stand-alone clinics, which often are open evenings and weekends, "provide the sorts of routine injury treatment and acute medical care that a primary physician would typically perform in their office," Uren says. That includes treating cold and flu cases, earaches, sprained ankles and minor cuts that require stitches. Urgent care clinics usually lack an operating room but may offer X-rays and simple lab tests.

Hospitals are ready for almost anything: Although equipped to treat minor injuries or sickness, emergency departments are best suited for the bigger stuff. "They can generally respond to just about any emergency within the capabilities of that hospital — 24/7," Uren says. Among these offerings: radiology labs, ultrasounds, CAT scans and MRIs, operating rooms and access to doctors of varying expertise across medical disciplines. Beds are available if a patient needs to stay over.

SEE ALSO: 10 Safety Tips for Fall Yardwork

Wait times will vary: Urgent care clinics might be sparsely staffed (with only a doctor and a nurse practitioner or physician assistant clocked in), but the lower acuity, or sickness, of patients means that most can be seen quickly. An emergency department admits patients using a system known as triage, which gives priority to serious cases. "If you're in need of immediate, lifesaving care, you will absolutely receive it," Uren says. A stroke patient, for example, would take priority over someone with a sore throat.

Costs will differ, too: Most people face a higher copay for emergency room visits compared with an urgent care consultation. So, beyond the prospect of a longer wait in a hospital, those with illnesses that aren't life-threatening might choose the latter setting for fiscal reasons. "In many cases, insurance companies have stratified copays that make emergency department visits more expensive," says Uren. "It is worth considering if your concern can be addressed at a lower, and cheaper, level of care."

Urgent care clinics know their limits: Although patients should try to pick the most suitable place for treatment on the first try, a severely ill person will be quickly and appropriately sent to an emergency department if he or she checks in at urgent care. But that lost time can be deadly when dealing with severe trauma, shortness of breath or loss of consciousness — scenarios ideally suited to hospitals. Says Uren: "In emergencies, every minute counts."


More Articles About: Health Management Urgent Care Trauma Health Care Delivery, Policy, and Economics Emergency & Trauma Care
Health Lab word mark overlaying blue cells
Health Lab

This article is from the Health Lab digital publication.

Media Contact Public Relations

Department of Communication at Michigan Medicine

[email protected]

734-764-2220

Stay Informed

Want top health & research news weekly? Sign up for Health Lab’s newsletters today!

Subscribe
Featured News & Stories couple with kid and medical bill with doctor
Health Lab
Even with private insurance, your child's hospitalization could cost $1,300
Study reveals privately insured families may spend $1,300 out-of-pocket for child hospitalization. High costs impact family wellbeing warns pediatric expert.
Woman weighing herself and a scale measurement
Health Lab
Bariatric endoscopy for weight loss: What is it and how does it work?
A gastroenterologist discusses several non-invasive therapies for treating obesity
nurses from 1918 wearing masks in hospitals standing together black and white photo
Health Lab
History saved lives in this pandemic. Will society listen next time?
The success of efforts to “flatten the curve” in the COVID-19 pandemic relied on University of Michigan research on the 1918 influenza pandemic.
Health Lab
A ‘game changer’ for mental health
The MC3 program provides psychiatric expertise on-demand to primary care providers in Michigan as they manage mental health conditions in young or pregnant patients
Illustration of scientists and doctors playing basketball in white coats and scrubs
News Release
Four U-M science teams picked for STAT Madness tournament
Four research teams, all led by researchers from Michigan Medicine, have been picked for the STAT Madness tournament based on papers published in 2022 on a wide range of topics, from COVID-19 to gut microbes to depression risk.
hand holding older hand over blanket
Health Lab
What experts wish more people knew about hospice and other end-of-life care
Hospice, palliative care, end-of-life decisions, long-term care insurance and durable power of attorney are all things people with serious health issues should think about.