It used to be that urgent care and emergency rooms were two separate places, and patients had to differentiate which one to use on their own. This could be tricky, especially when trying to understand health issues such as abdominal pain causes or what was and was not minor injuries and illness. However, more facilities are becoming a combination of both urgent care and emergency room services. This can take long wait times out of the equation and simplify medical treatment for those who need it. Most urgent care facilities are open all week long and for a minimum of four hours per day. By combining both models, patients can get the treatment they need and deserve. Here are some of the benefits of using these combination facilities.

Those Who Go to Urgent Care but Need Emergency Treatment Do Not Have to Travel

This can be a lifesaver for patients who think their problem is not that severe and only requires a trip to the urgent care, such as someone trying to find out abdominal pain causes. If this were to be something more serious, such as appendicitis, the person would go directly to the emergency room within the same building. This not only cuts down on travel time, but it can save the person?s life, rather than needing a car or ambulance to visit the nearest emergency room. Having both facilities in the same location saves time for patients and staff, as they can be referred to different departments within the same building with ease. Most urgent cares offer at least seven exam rooms to see patients, so the facilities are usually generous in size to begin with. By directing people to the correct departments instead of using staff (such as ambulance workers) to handle these problems, fewer expenses are incurred.

Patients Do Not Have to Worry About Facing a Larger Out of Pocket Cost Through Urgent Care

For patients who have the option to choose urgent care over the emergency room, it will cost them less to make use of the urgent care location. This is because the average cost of urgent care is around $100 whereas a trip to the emergency room can run patients up to $300 or more. While patients do not always have a choice of where to receive treatment from, those that are not emergency cases and can be treated in an urgent care setting will find they are financially better off for taking advantage of this option. In addition, clinics that can see both will be able to handle the billing for each of those locations. Sometimes billing can become very confusing, and leave patients with questions. They will likely become frustrated, not understand why they have to call both the emergency room and urgent care to settle the issues. By having a central location that manages both, this worry is eliminated, and patients will have less to deal with.

Patients Are Able to Seek Urgent Care Services While Avoiding the Emergency Room

Even with doctors and nurses who are quick on their feet, emergency rooms can still be crowded. By visiting the urgent care for problems such as sore throats or diagnosing abdominal pain causes, patients can avoid long wait times for simpler issues. This gets them in and out of the facility as quickly as possible, while not taking up space in the emergency room. Both doctors and patients will find this easier to deal with, since there are less people gathered in one central area, and they can work with the more immediate cases at hand.

Combination emergency rooms and urgent care are beneficial to both patients and medical staff. Those who end up needing services from the emergency room do not have to risk time and health by traveling to one, in the event it is not nearby. For issues such as finding out the abdominal pain causes, this is very beneficial. Billing issues are simplified because everything is billed for both departments under one system. And finally, those who know they have smaller issues and would like the avoid the emergency room at all costs can do so.