Choosing Emergency Room Care vs. Urgent Care Centers

Do you know all the facts when it comes to choosing whether to go to the Emergency Room or an Urgent Care Center?

An article published on fairhealthconsumer.org highlighted important information that you should know.

The article discussed the following:
Emergency Room Care

• You many encounter: ER co-payments, co-insurance or deductibles
• You many encounter: Additional ER out-of-network charges
• Deals with potentially life-threatening emergencies & is open 24 hours a day
• Many plans cover a portion of emergency care
• Most health plans will not pay for ER visits if the visit is not considered an emergency
• To determine this they follow the “Prudent Layperson Standard” under PPACA to determine what is a true emergency.

Urgent Care Centers:

• Most health plans include urgent care centers in their networks
• Have extended hours (primarily when your primary care doctor is not available)
• Provides treatment for less serious emergencies
• Not equipped to deal with major medical traumas or emergencies

The article also went into the cost of the Urgent Care vs. the cost of the Emergency Room.

To view the full article, please go to the following link: Emergency Room Care vs. Urgent Care