Are Urgent Care Centers And Hospitals The Same Thing? Amy Smith, September 19, 2023September 19, 2023 Are Urgent Care Centers And Hospitals The Same Thing? Photo by Matthias Zomer: Pexels When accidents happen, people often think of visiting the emergency room at their local hospital. Making a trip to the emergency room can mean spending hours waiting to be seen due to the large number of patients sometimes needing critical care. In addition to patients arriving by ambulance needing medical attention, patients often need to be seen for minor injuries or illnesses such as cold and flu symptoms. When you can’t see your regular physician or have an immediate need for medical care from a qualified professional, you might consider visiting an urgent care center. If you are in the Dallas area, consider visiting urgent care Desoto TX if you need fast medical treatment. You might wonder, “Are urgent care centers and hospitals the same thing?” Not exactly. Urgent care can treat patients for many needs, but more serious issues need a hospital emergency room. The Emergency Room Emergency rooms often deal with life-or-death medical conditions alongside the less critical cases in routine living. Being that accidents are never convenient, emergency rooms in traditional hospitals are open on a 24-hour schedule. No matter the time of day or night, emergency rooms evaluate and treat patients for everything from the common cold to cardiac arrest. Cost is a huge factor when it comes to seeking medical treatment from a traditional emergency room hosted by a hospital. You will be billed from numerous sources including, but not limited to, the following: the hospital facility, the emergency room doctor on call, any specialist, diagnostic procedures, and the professional interpreting the test, and the list continues depending on the nature of your visit to the facility. Visits to the hospital emergency room are often a very costly adventure in medical care. Factor into your cost that many insurance companies today have a deductible to meet and basic fees for attending any emergency room unless patients are to be admitted for a stay in the hospital. Urgent Care Centers Going to urgent care to be treated for a medical problem will typically mean a much shorter wait time than in a traditional emergency room at the hospital. Although not open for business 24 hours a day, no appointments are necessary for urgent care centers, and they often operate during extended business hours. Simple medical needs such as colds, influenza, allergies, and skin rashes or insect bites are typical in urgent care centers. It is often faster to visit an urgent care center than to make an appointment with your regular doctor. Consider urgent care in Desoto, TX, in the Dallas vicinity. Often urgent care centers today offer diagnostics such as X-rays, internal laboratory services, and medical services that keep you from visiting another facility. If you need more critical care or a specialist outside of their scope of care, an urgent care center has the means to put you in contact with a specialist who can assist you. You will pay for urgent care for services and at your visit. If you have insurance, your bill may be lower due to a contracted fee. This fee is the only bill you will pay. No more getting various statements in the mail later that are ambiguous in nature from multiple sources. Skilled Care Fast When the sniffles start or you are generally just feeling ill, urgent care is perfect for handling the problem quickly. Urgent care can do an average examination of the ear, eyes, nose, and throat while quickly spotting and treating some common issues. Is your problem more pressing than the sniffles? Urgent care centers can handle a number of accidental injuries with diagnostic equipment available onsite. If you are in the Dallas area, consider using urgent care Desoto TX, for your emergent medical needs. Share on FacebookTweetFollow usSave Health