One of the many reasons New York City is an exceptional place for older adults to remain independent while aging in place is the wealth of medical care providers in every neighborhood.

While the city’s vast medical care network means help is never more than a few blocks away, it also means that an individual experiencing a sudden injury or illness can easily be overwhelmed by their choices. One of the most common points of confusion is whether to visit a hospital Emergency Room (ER) or a local Urgent Care (UC) following a sudden injury or illness. This article explains the difference between the two types of care center so readers can make an informed choice when receiving timely care is key and tensions are most high. 

What are the differences between an Emergency Room and Urgent Care?

Emergency Rooms are typically part of a larger hospital and are open 24/7 to treat severe, life-threatening injuries or illness. Because of their association with a hospital, ER’s offer a wider variety of specialists and can provide more medical services, including emergency surgery and MRI imaging.

Urgent Care facilities are often unaffiliated with a hospital and offer a more limited scope of services than an ER. UC facilities are equipped to assist with non-life-threatening injuries and illness that require prompt medical care in situations where a patient cannot safely wait for an appointment with their primary care physician. UC facilities are typically not open 24/7, but usually offer hours that extend before and after normal 9-5 business hours. While some specialty services like x-ray imaging are available, more complex treatment tools like MRI or surgical suites are not offered at most UC facilities.

When to visit an ER or UC

While there is some overlap between the services offered at ERs and UCs, certain injuries and symptoms should always trigger a visit to an ER. These include:

• Chest pain or difficulty breathing
• Weakness/numbness on one side
• Slurred speech
• Fainting/change in mental state
• Serious burns
• Head or eye injury
• Concussion/confusion
• Broken bones and dislocated joints
• Fever with a rash
• Seizures
• Severe cuts that may require stitches
• Facial lacerations
• Severe cold or flu symptoms
• Vaginal bleeding with pregnancy

The above injuries could all pose life-threatening risks to an individual that could worsen due to delayed treatment and require the specialist services and testing typically only available at an ER. If you are ever in doubt about the level of severity of an injury and the care needed, default to visiting an ER.

While UCs offer a more narrow range of services, they can still be invaluable tools in the event of a non-life-threatening injury or illness that still requires rapid assessment and treatment. These include:

• Fever without a rash
• Vomiting or persistent diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
• Wheezing or shortness of breath
• Dehydration
• Moderate flu-like symptoms
• Sprains and strains
• Small cuts that may require stitches

Because ERs provide life-saving treatment and provide care based on medical need, a patient visiting an ER with a non-life-threatening injury will likely be a lower priority and may need to wait longer than if they visit a UC. Conversely, a patient with a life-threatening injury may take time to visit a UC, only to learn that they would be best served at an ER, extending the time between injury and receiving care.

Planning for an emergency

It’s impossible to predict when an emergency will happen, but there are steps you can take to ensure that you can receive the right type of care in a timely fashion:

• You are most likely to fall ill or be injured where you spend the most time: at home and in your neighborhood. As a result, it is important to know the location of your nearest ER, as well as the location and hours of your nearest UC.
• When evaluating local UCs to determine your go-to location, contact their front offices and determine whether your insurance is accepted. This way, you do not need to worry about finding a location that accepts your insurance when time is critical.
• If there are multiple ER and UC options in your immediate area, take time to do some research and read patient reviews for the various locations. Keep in mind that medical emergencies are often times of extremely high emotions, so reviews will often skew to the extreme. Be sure to assess each location based on the overall tone and averaged opinions of multiple reviews, rather than fixating on flashier outlier reviews.
• Planning for an emergency should happen long before an actual illness or injury forces you to put your plan in motion. SelectCare’s guide on what to bring to the emergency room provides a comprehensive list of things that can make your stay at a UC or ER more comfortable. If the emergency happens outside of your home, or you are unable to collect your go-bag, having a trusted friend, family member, or caregiver collect it can be a huge help.

SelectCare hopes you find this guide a useful tool when preparing for the unexpected. Our team of home health care experts have helped New Yorkers live happier, healthier lives in their long-time homes for 40 years.

If you or a loved one have concerns about your ability to respond safely and quickly to a medical emergency, now might be the time to consider home health care. SelectCare provides clients with compassionate, trained caregivers supported by around-the-clock Registered Nurse supervisors who can provide critical assistance when time matters most.

To learn more, call SelectCare today, request a free in-home care guide, or read firsthand accounts of SelectCare clients on our testimonials page.