Emergency Room vs. Urgent Care! What Should You Do?

The decision of whether to go to an emergency room can be difficult! You are considering your safety and/or the safety of your loved one; you are considering the wait times, the copays, etc.

You may likely opt for the emergency room—but is that always the best choice?

Emergency Room personnel must screen and stabilize the most critical cases first; so if you visit an emergency room for: sore throat, cough, sprained ankle or minor burn, you may end up waiting behind true emergent conditions.

Save money and time? How?

You can save money and time by using the emergency room wisely. Don’t get us wrong! If you or your loved one experiences a true emergency—or if you are not sure based on the severity of symptoms, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911 for assistance.

But just know that you have other—less expensive—and just as effective options such as:

• SAME OR NEXT DAY APPOINTMENTS:
  • You PCP’s office has set aside same or next day appointments for urgent care situations.
  • Urgent care appointments with your PCP cost less than emergency room visit copay
  • Call your physician’s office for their urgent care guidelines.
• USE AN URGENT CARE CENTER:
• Keep a list of Urgent Care Centers—along with their hours of operation handy. To see our most current list or urgent care centers, click here.
• In most cases, your urgent care center copay is considerably less than an emergency room copay!

You can’t always know WHEN an emergent condition will arise!

You can’t always judge the severity of your medical condition!

But you DO have options!

WANT TO SAVE MORE MONEY ON YOUR PRESCRIPTIONS? TRY THIS!

Consider Generic Drugs! Discuss generic drug options with your physician. Generic drugs cost less and meet the same rigorous performance standards set by the U.S. federal government as brand-name drugs. They contain the same active ingredients as the brand-name equivalent of the same dosage and strength.

Don’t Have Prescription drug Coverage?

Present your HAP ID card to receive the HAP discount on prescription drugs. It’s lower than the retail cost!

For More Information on Stretching Your Prescription Dollars, click here.