Alternative Emergency Care

Emergency care through the emergency room at your local hospital can be costly, especially for medical situation which need care, but aren't life threatening. For instance, on the weekends, some parents choose to take their child to the ER for ear infection symptoms since their doctor's offices are closed throughout the weekend. Obviously the child needs to be seen, but your local hospital will probably provide the most expensive ear infection care you've ever seen - thousands of dollars in diagnosis and treatment for a common childhood infection!

So, What are Some Alternatives to the Local Hospital?

Beside the exorbitant expense, you're often left in the waiting room for hours when you visit the emergency room for a medical condition which is not life-threatening, especially if many more serious conditions are coming in at a fast rate. If you'd like to cut your wait time down and pay less for quality medical care, choose one of these other options.

Urgent Care Center - An urgent care center is equipped to handle medical issues that need immediate attention, but they aren't threatening the victim's life. For instance, minor sprains, situations needing x-rays, and many injuries that require stitches can easily be cared for in this type of a clinical setting. Urgent care staff are fully qualified to perform these types of procedures and unless the office is incredibly busy, the patient can be seen, assessed and treated relatively quickly.

Retail Health Clinics - Did your realize that your local pharmacy may have a clinic which can easily treat common conditions such as ear infections, cold symptoms, minor rashes or bumps, low-grade fevers, eye swelling or redness, minor allergic reactions, and other non-threatening medical issues? Most of these clinics will see children who are over two years of age too, so if you feel your child may have developed a sinus or ear infection while suffering through the common cold virus, you can usually walk into one of these clinics for treatment.

Walk-In Doctor's Offices - If you're doctor's office is closed for the day or the weekend, you may be able to utilize a walk-in doctor's office. Some primary offices have a walk-in office associated with them, so you can still see a doctor from your primary physician's practice even during hours when the office is closed. Walk-in offices don't require an appointment time and typically you can see the doctor even if you're not an established patient. Medical care for simple conditions like minor allergic reactions or mild asthma can be found here.

Plan Ahead and Bring Your Primary Physician's Information

You'll want to look ahead by finding local urgent care, retail clinics or walk-in offices before an issue comes up. Nothing is more stressful than trying to find an alternative to your doctor's office while you or your family member is in the midst of a medical situation. You'll also want to check your insurance policy for local options which are covered.

Carry your insurance information and primary care doctor's information in your wallet at all times. The paperwork you'll be filling out will often require this information so your insurance company can be billed and your primary doctor can be notified of your condition and treatment.