>> YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU MIGHT NEED A DOCTOR. IT SEEMS THE KIDS ALWAYS GET
SICK OVERNIGHT.
WHAT’S WITH THAT?
>> STITCHES, COUGHING,
HEADACHES, THE LIST GOES ON AND
ON AND YOU MAY BE WONDERING, DO
I NEED TO GO TO THE EMERGENCY
ROOM OR TO URGENT CARE?
SOMETIMES IT’S NOT CLEAR WHICH
PLACE YOU MIGHT NEED.
>> ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS, WE’RE
GOING TO HELP CLARIFY.
>> I LOVE HEARING THE LADIES
TALK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I KNOW
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM HAS
BEEN THROUGH THIS.
A SITUATION OR AN ILLNESS
BECOMES SERIOUS ENOUGH TO SEEK
ATTENTION RIGHT WAY AND YOU’RE
NOT SURE IF YOU SHOULD GO TO THE
EMERGENCY ROOM OR URGENT CARE.
YOU DON’T WANT TO TAKE UP TOO
MUCH TIME TO MAKE UP YOUR MIND.
NOBODY WANTS TO PAY A BUNCH OF
MONEY AT THE E.R. WHEN THEY ARE
NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE.
WE BROUGHT IN A DOCTOR TO TALK
ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
THE E.R. AND URGENT CARE AND
THERE’S ALSO A FREE STANDING
TYPE OF OPTION SO LET’S TALK
ABOUT THE OPTIONS TO BEGIN WITH.
>> OKAY.
SO IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY AND
YOU KNOW HOW THESE THINGS ARE.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN SOMETHING IS
GOING TO HAPPEN.
YOU CAN GO TO THE URGENT CARE,
FREE STANDING EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENT OR A FULL HOSPITAL
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.
URGENT CARE TENDS TO BE FREE
STANDING OR HOSPITAL.
URGENT CARE IS OFTEN STAFFED BY
MID LEVEL PROVIDERS SO YOU MAY
HAVE A NURSE PRACTITIONER, A
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT AND A
PHYSICIAN OVERSEEING BUT THE
PHYSICIAN MAY NOT ALWAYS BE ON
SITE.
FREE STANDING EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENTS BY CONTRAST ARE
ALWAYS STAFFED BY AT LEAST ONE
PHYSICIAN 24/7 SO THEY’RE OPEN
ALL THE TIME.
AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A
FREE STANDING AND A REGULAR
HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IS
THAT IT’S TRULY FREE STANDING.
IT’S ACTUALLY A BUILDING
ATTACHED.
WHEN WOULD YOU DECIDE TO GO TO
ONE OR THE OTHER?
IT REALLY DEPENDS ON WHAT IS
GOING ON WITH YOU.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAVE LIKE
A MINOR COUGH, COLD, SCRAPE,
SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOU
PROBABLY WILL BE EASIER TO GET
IN AND OUT OF URGENT CARE.
IT’S USUALLY LESS EXPENSIVE AT
AN URGENT CARE AS WELL.
LET’S SAY IT’S AFTER HOURS.
YOU CAN GO TO THE FREE STANDING
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.
THE BILL IS HIGHER THAN URGENT
CARE.
IT ALL DEPENDS ON INSURANCE AND
LOCATION IN THE COUNTRY AND
THINGS LIKE THAT BUT THAT WOULD
BE ONE OF THE DECIDING FACTORS.
>> LIGHTS SAY YOUR CHILD BREAKS
THEIR ARM AT SCHOOL AND IT’S IN
THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY AND YOU’RE
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, OBVIOUSLY
THEY NEED EMERGENCY ATTENTION
BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S THE BEST
FOR MY INSURANCE OPTIONS.
WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?
>> YOU COULD CALL AHEAD AND SEE
WHO TAKES YOUR INSURANCE.
OTHERWISE, I THINK AN URGENT
CARE OR FREE STANDING ARE
PERFECTLY GOOD OPTIONS.
MOST OF THE TIME THEY DON’T NEED
AN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.
THE KEY DIFFERENCE IS THAT IF
YOU NEED ADMISSION OR SURGERY,
THEN YOU REALLY NEED TO GO TO A
FULL HOSPITAL EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENT.
HOWEVER, IF YOU END UP SHOWING
UP AT A FREE STANDING, YOU CAN
ALWAYS BE TRANSFERRED TO THE
HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.
>> WITH EVERYTHING DIGITAL NO
JAW -- NOWADAYS, YOU CAN GO TO
THE APP.
>> YOU CAN GET AN IDEA OF THE
WAIT TIME AS WELL.
>> THAT MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
WE TALKED WITH HAVING A
PRACTITIONER SO YOU CAN GET IN
WITH YOUR DOCTOR WHO KNOWS YOU.
BUT WHEN THINGS HAPPEN OVERNIGHT
--
>> IT SEEMS LIKE IT HAPPENS WHEN
THE DOCTOR IS NOT AVAILABLE,
RIGHT?
YOUR OWN DOCTOR.
ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE A PHYSICIAN.
WHEN YOU GO TO THE UJ ENT CARE
OR FREE STANDING, THEY DON’T
USUALLY KNOW YOU UNLESS YOU GO
THERE OFTEN.
>> THEN THEY SHOULDN’T BE
KNOWING YOU BUT THEY TOO.
WHAT OTHER THINGS DO YOU SEE AT
URGENT CARE?
I REMEMBER I WAS 25 AND HAD
CHEST PAIN.
I THOUGHT I’M TOO YOUNG FOR A
SERIOUS EMERGENCY BUT THEY SENT
ME THERE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
FOR EVALUATING CHEST PAIN, WE
USUAL COOL AN EKG, BLOOD WORK,
EVEN THOUGH YOU’RE RIGHT, 25 IS
NOT THE AGE FOR HEART ATTACKS,
THEY DO HAPPEN AND SO THEY DO
NEED TO BE EVALUATED IN AN
EMERGENCY SETTING.
>> IT’S BECAUSE OF THE
EQUIPMENT, RIGHT?
>> THE EQUIPMENT, THE PERSONNEL,
THE EXPERTISE AND IF THERE’S A
NEED TO HOSPITALIZE YOU AS WELL.
>> CHEST PAIN IS ONE OF THEM.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER SYMPTOMS?
>> ALTERED MENTAL STATUS,
STROKE-LIKE SYMPTOMS THAT WE
TALKED ABOUT I THINK BEFORE,
ANYTHING WHERE YOU FEEL LIKE
YOU’RE GOING TO NEED SURGERY
LIKE AN APPENDICITIS AND HOW DO
YOU KNOW IF YOUR BELLY PAIN IS
AN APPENDICITIS?
YOU MAY NOT KNOW.
BUT ANYTHING LIKE THAT I WOULD
GO TO THE FULL HOSPITAL
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.
ALSO IF YOU EVER CHRONIC
PROBLEMS OR CONGENITAL PROBLEMS
WHERE YOUR CASE IS A LITTLE MORE
COMPLICATED, PROBABLY YOU WANT
TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL DEPARTMENT
THAT KNOWS YOU.
>> ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
YOU ALWAYS HAVE THE BEST