From WYCB:
According to the journal Health Affairs, almost one in every three ER visits is by patients who don’t have a life-threatening ailment. That means their hospital visit is costing them more money and time. “I have some experience working in the ER and I saw quite a bit of people who would be more efficiently dealt with in an urgent care,” said Dr. Andrew Brown, an urgent care physician.
Brown said you should go to an urgent care center if you can’t see your regular doctor and when you have a mild condition including minor burns or injuries, sprains and strains, coughs, colds, sore throats, ear infections, fever or flu-like symptoms, rash or other skin ailment or mild asthma.
If you have a life-threatening emergency or after-hours trauma, Brown says you should head to the emergency room for critical conditions including chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding or head trauma, loss of consciousness or sudden loss of or blurred vision.
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