When illnesses or injuries strike, people often wonder if they should go to urgent care or straight to the emergency room. And, for many patients, cost plays a big role in their decision. The difference in urgent care vs. emergency room cost depends on several factors that we will explore. From insurance to the services being rendered, we’ll break down the basic differences between urgent care and emergency room costs.
Why is There a Difference in Cost?
Urgent care centers and emergency rooms serve different purposes within healthcare systems. Urgent care facilities are designed to handle medical issues that require prompt attention, but that are not life-threatening. Minor injuries, respiratory illnesses, infections, and skin conditions are among some of these. In contrast, emergency rooms are specially equipped to address critical or life-threatening conditions, such as severe trauma, heart attacks, strokes, or those that require immediate medical intervention.
Cost of Urgent Care Visits
Urgent care facilities offer cost-effective, prompt treatment options for minor illnesses and injuries. The upfront cost of urgent care visits are typically significantly lower than those of emergency room visits. The differences are primarily due to: insurance plans, the nature of the visit, and services rendered.
Urgent care also focuses on primary care services outside of regular office hours, or in place of an appointment with your primary care provider. Xpress Wellness Urgent Care offers virtual primary care services and in some clinic locations they also offer in-person primary care services, which enables patients to have continuity of care. Urgent care offices also accept a wide range of insurance plans, which helps reduce out-of-pocket expenses for patients.