Should i go to urgent care

MyChart UChicago Medicine. Care Connection Ingalls. For help with Ingalls Care Connection, call us at or email portalsupport ingalls. Should you head to a hospital emergency room or an urgent care clinic? You could also avoid a long wait in an ER waiting room when an ER may not be the level of care you need. If you are experiencing mild symptoms , such as a temperature below degrees, aches and pains, a mild cough, etc.

Many primary care physicians are now offering virtual visits and can assess patients by a phone or video call fairly quickly. Always remember, if the urgent care provider thinks you need a higher level of care, they will get you to the ER. For more immediate or after-hours care, a trip to an urgent care clinic can be a great solution.

Many of them are open seven days a week, have far shorter wait times than the ER, and cost less than a traditional hospital emergency room visit. Many urgent care clinics also have advanced diagnostic imaging like X-ray machines and lab capabilities to assess your illness or injury onsite.

Urgent care providers can prescribe medications and recommend a higher level of care, if needed. This includes if a person has a severe injury or allergic reaction, if they pass out or experience any signs of a possible stroke or signs of a heart attack.

UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial has several urgent aid locations , a unique hybrid of ER-level care provided in an ambulatory setting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Urgent aid centers are designed for patients whose condition or injury requires efficient, high quality emergency services. Unlike urgent care centers, they are staffed exclusively by physicians. Many people are unsure of when it is appropriate to visit an urgent care clinic or if they should only see their doctor.

We closely follow all CDC safety guidelines to ensure that our patients and staff remain healthy. We sanitize in between patients in all exam rooms and the waiting room, too. At our urgent care clinic , we can perform blood work, ultrasounds, and even stitches. Read on to help you determine if you should go to urgent care or your doctor. Urgent care clinics usually offer extended office hours that enable patients to walk in for treatments without an appointment and are generally less expensive than the ER.

Our knowledgeable and experienced team at University Urgent Care does not replace your primary care physician who is familiar with your medical history and can manage long-term care. There are a number of medical conditions that are considered emergencies because they can require rapid or advanced treatments such as surgery that are only available in a hospital setting.

Even if it is clear that you or your loved one needs emergency care, you may be unsure whether to drive yourself to an emergency room or call When in doubt, please call — what matters most is that you get to the emergency room quickly and safely. For certain medical emergencies such as a heart attack or stroke, calling for an ambulance is always the right decision.

This is because paramedics often can begin delivering life-saving treatment on the way to the hospital. Urgent care is not emergency care. Urgent care centers are same-day clinics that can handle a variety of medical problems that need to be treated right away, but are not considered true emergencies.

Symptoms that can be evaluated and treated at an urgent care clinic include:.