Emergency, urgent, or virtual care?
How to choose the right site of care. When you or a loved one has a medical emergency or serious issue that requires prompt care, choosing how and where to seek help can be confusing, time-consuming, and sometimes more costly than necessary.
Emergency Room
When your child has a serious illness or injury. If the illness or injury is life-threatening, call 911 right away.
Offers the highest level of emergency care for life-threatening conditions
Patients typically pay more out of pocket for ER services than other types of emergency care.
May face long waits and risk exposure to other sick people in the waiting room.
- If your child's illness or injury is life-threatening, call 911.
- Severe abdominal pain, bleeding or chest pain
- Choking
- Severe allergic reactions
- Severe burns
- Severe fractures and broken bones
- Unconsciousness/inability to awaken
- Vomiting or coughing blood
- Pregnancy complications
Urgent Care
When your child has an illness or injury that is not a medical emergency or life-threatening, and you cannot get into your primary care provider
Can treat common conditions such as the flu, urinary tract infections, minor cuts, sprains, bruises, and animal bites.
Many are open for extended hours and offer X-rays and lab work onsite.
If you don't need an ER, urgent care centers can save you money and time.
Waits that are typically shorter than in the ER, urgent care centers often allow patients to schedule appointments in advance.
Urgent Care does not provide ultrasounds, CT scans or MRI studies. If your child needs one of these, they will be transferred to the Emergency Department.
- Common illness (like cold & flu)
- Ear aches
- Fever
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Non-severe allergies and hives
- Headaches and migraines
- Minor sprains, burns, cuts or rashes
Virtual Care
If you or a loved one are experiencing a mild health concern, and your PCP isn't available for an appointment, telemedicine is another alternative.
An option for non-emergency conditions like colds, flu, and coughs.
The medical professional must make a diagnosis without being able to conduct a thorough physical examination and, in certain cases, without even seeing the patient.
- Fever
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Non-severe allergies and hives
- Headaches and migraines
- Minor sprains, burns or rashes
What do they treat
Selecting the right level of care can allow them to be treated as quickly as possible.
Provide your child with the appropriate level of care can be more cost effective.
Emergency Room
- Examples include:
- ✓ If your child's illness or injury is life-threatening, call 911.
- ✓ Severe abdominal pain, bleeding or chest pain
- ✓ Choking
- ✓ Severe allergic reactions
- ✓ Severe burns
- ✓ Severe fractures and broken bones
- ✓ Unconsciousness/inability to awaken
- ✓ Vomiting or coughing blood
- ✓ Pregnancy complications
Urgent Care
- Examples include:
- ✓ Common illness (like cold & flu)
- ✓ Ear aches
- ✓ Fever
- ✓ Nausea and Vomiting
- ✓ Non-severe allergies and hives
- ✓ Headaches and migraines
- ✓ Minor sprains, burns, cuts or rashes
Virtual Care
- Examples include:
- ✓ Fever
- ✓ Nausea and Vomiting
- ✓ Non-severe allergies and hives
- ✓ Headaches and migraines
- ✓ Minor sprains, burns or rashes