Knowing where to go for treatment after an illness or accident can sometimes be tricky, especially when your primary care physician may not be available for consultation. Some of these conditions may not need outside care, some may need “urgent” care, while others may need “emergency” care.
Emergency Room vs. Urgent Care Omaha Differences, Costs & Options
Urgent Care Omaha clinics are walk-in healthcare facilities that treat urgent but non-life-threatening problems. These clinics don’t have as much equipment as a hospital ER, and they can’t admit you for long-term care if you need it. But for the problems they can treat, urgent care service is usually much faster, and much cheaper.
Costs Emergency Room vs. Urgent Care Omaha Costs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports there are more than 136 million visits to emergency rooms each year. The National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey estimates that one-third to one-half of all ER visits are for non-emergency care. The New England Health Institute said 56% of emergency room visits were “totally avoidable.” The top three reasons for ER visits were:
- sprains and strains
- upper respiratory infections
- superficial cuts
Most of these situations could have been handled in an urgent care or primary care setting with savings of time and money.
When To Choose Emergency Room
The real question that should be answered when deciding between an urgent care and
emergency rooms is: “Why am I going?” If the answer is: “Because I have life-threatening injuries or symptoms,” then the choice is simple: Go to an emergency room. Otherwise, an urgent care center should do.The problem is that some ailments and symptoms straddle the line, and only a trained medical staffer could make the call. If it’s too close to call, common sense dictates going to an emergency room.
Some of the most common reasons to go to an emergency room are:
- Severe chest pain
- Heart attack
- Severe abdominal pain
- Wheezing or shortness of breath
- Paralysis
- Intestinal bleeding
- High fevers or rash, especially among children
- Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy
- Repeated vomiting
- Poisoning
- Severe head or eye injuries
- Allergic reactions
- Unconsciousness
When to choose Omaha or Bellevue, NE Urgent Care Clinics
The rule of thumb for treatment at an urgent care clinic is if the condition is not life-threatening, but needs treatment today, head to an urgent care center.
The conditions most often associated with that include:
- Fevers, flu or cold symptoms
- Ear infections
- Animal or insect bites
- Seasonal allergies
- Bronchitis
- Sprains and broken bones
- Cuts and bleeding that may require stitches
- Vomiting or diarrhea
- Breathing discomfort, such as mild asthma exacerbations
- Urinary tract infections
- X-rays and lab tests
- Minor abdominal pain
- Minor back pain
Omaha Urgent care clinics can fill in for your regular doctor in a time-sensitive situation. The urgent care clinics provide the sorts of routine injury treatment and acute medical care that a primary care physician would perform in their office.
Emergency Room vs. Urgent Care Omaha Waiting Time
Urgent care clinics deal with less-severe cases, so patients usually are seen more quickly than at an emergency room. An ER treats patients on a “triage” system, which gives priority
to serious cases. Those patients in need of immediate, life-saving care will absolutely receive it. The average wait time for patients with non-life-threatening concerns, however, is over two hours.
Our Urgent Care Walk-In Clinics in Omaha, Bennington, West Omaha, Rockbrook, Crossroads & Bellevue, NE
Our staff works to provide prompt, personal, and professional care for all of our patients. We strive to provide the attention patients need in as quick a time as possible. Urgent Care Clinics in Omaha & Bellevue, Nebraska has three locations in the Omaha metropolitan area. Our three walk-in clinics are:
- Rockbrook Urgent Care
- Crossroads Urgent Care
- Bellevue Urgent Care
- West Omaha Urgent Care
- Bennington Urgent Care
Disclaimer
The information contained on this webpage is for educational purposes as well as to provide general information and general understanding of the pertinent medical issue only, not to provide a specific diagnosis. This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. By using this blog/web site you understand there is no doctor patient relationship between you and the blog/web site publisher. The information included on this site should not be used as a substitute for medical advice from a licensed medical professional in your state. Neither Urgent Care Network, its subsidiaries, affiliates, assignees or successors in interest, nor any other party assume liability for loss or damage due to reliance on content of this blog/web site. If you are experiencing a severe medical issue, you should seek emergency assistance immediately.
