Let’s say you accidentally cut yourself and need stitches. You can choose to go to an Urgent Care Clinic or an Emergency Room (ER) to receive care, so how do you decide where to go?
Choose an Urgent Care Clinic if your cut is deep, but you can stop the bleeding. Urgent Care Clinics provide care for serious, but non-life-threatening conditions, such as:
- Minor cuts and burns
- Sprains, strains, and broken bones
- Fevers, colds, and flu
Choose an ER if your cut is severe and bleeding heavily requiring medically necessary immediate treatment. An emergency medical condition or illness has acute symptoms which could result in serious harm to your health, bodily functions, or organs if immediate medical attention is not received. Please refer to the Summary Plan Description for the Plan’s official definition of an “emergency medical condition.”
For example:
- Persistent bleeding that won’t stop
- Chest pain or shortness of breath
- Sudden inability to talk or move, or sudden slurred speech
32% of Emergency Room visits are for non-urgent care.
Source: National Library of Medicine
What You’ll Pay
When you need in-person urgent, but non-emergency care, the cost of services at an ER will be higher than the cost of the same services at an Urgent Care Clinic. Plus, if you go to an in-network or out-of-network ER for a non-emergency condition, as defined by the Plan, you’ll pay the full cost of the services received—which could be thousands of dollars!
Save money by choosing an Urgent Care Clinic for any in-person urgent, non-emergency care you need. Tip: Search regence.com to find an in-network Urgent Care Clinic near you, and put it in your phone contacts, so you’ll be ready to get care fast when you need it.