When an emergency strikes, you know you need medical care fast. But what if you’re not sure if it’s a true emergency? How can you tell if what you or a loved one is experiencing should have you rushing to the ER? While the answer is not always simple, knowing the difference between urgent care and emergency care and where to seek treatment could either save your life in an emergency situation, or thousands of dollars for non emergencies.

Physician, Physician’s Assistant or Nurse Practitioner?

Urgent Care Medicine (UCM) is the provision of immediate medical service offering outpatient care for the treatment of acute and chronic illness and injury. It requires a broad and comprehensive fund of knowledge to provide such care. Excellence in care for patients with complex and or unusual conditions is founded on the close communication and collaboration between the urgent care medicine physician, the specialists and the primary physicians. Urgent care does not replace your primary care physician.

An urgent care center is a convenient option when someone’s regular physician is on vacation or unable to offer a timely appointment. Or, when illness strikes outside of regular office hours, urgent care offers an alternative to waiting for hours in a hospital Emergency Room.