Skip the Wait: 5 Reasons to Choose Urgent Care Over the ER

Urgent care offers many benefits over the emergency room (ER), including lower costs and shorter wait times. But how do you know when it’s the right course of action? Learn when you should choose urgent care and get timely care without the long wait.

Urgent care versus the emergency room (ER): Sometimes it’s difficult to know when to visit which.

When it’s the weekend, and you’ve woken up with a fever or your child has severely injured their ankle, your instinct might be to head to the ER. However, oftentimes, in these scenarios, urgent care is the better option.

At San Feliz Urgent Care in Glendale, California, our urgent care team understands that choosing between urgent care and the ER isn’t always an obvious decision. So, we’re highlighting the differences between the two and the benefits urgent care often has to offer.

Urgent care vs. the ER

Urgent care centers are equipped to handle nonpressing medical situations. Like San Feliz Urgent Care, these medical practices typically have extended hours to accommodate the unpredictability of acute illnesses and injuries that need medical attention within 24 hours.

Common ailments that you can take to urgent care include:

Strep throat
Viruses, such as the flu and COVID
Respiratory infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia
Sinus and ear infections
Upset stomach and diarrhea
Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
Sprains, strains, and minor bone breaks
Minor cuts and burns

Most of the time, urgent care is the preferred option since it’s more cost-effective and generally has shorter wait times. However, urgent care isn’t the appropriate course of action if you have a medical emergency. These include, but aren’t limited to:

Traumatic injuries, such as severe burns and bone breaks
Severe bleeding
Poisoning
Severe allergic reactions, such as anaphylaxis
Seizures
Heart attacks
Strokes

When in doubt, if the situation poses an immediate threat to your life or limbs, go to the nearest emergency room immediately.

The benefits of urgent care

At San Feliz Urgent Care, we offer on-site X-ray imaging, lab services, and other vital diagnostic testing services needed to effectively diagnose and treat a wide range of medical issues. Because of this, it’s often a better investment of your time and money to see our team for non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses.

When you see our urgent care team for your medical needs, you can expect the following benefits:

Convenience
A wide range of on-site services
Quality medical care from experts
Shortened wait times
Lower overall costs

If you find yourself in need of quick and effective medical care, look no further than our San Feliz Urgent Care team. Schedule an appointment with us by calling our office or using our online booking feature today.