Sliced your finger cutting that avocado? Sprained your ankle playing pickleball? You need medical help soon.
There are a lot of different places you might go for treatment when something goes wrong. An urgent care clinic can be one of those places depending on what you need.
But how do you know when to go to the emergency room or make an appointment with your primary care provider instead of using urgent care? Don’t the words “primary” and “emergency” sound just as important as “urgent?”
So what’s the difference?
“Excellent question to ask,” says Patrick Bilskey, DO, a primary care physician at Rush Convenient Care Aurora West Galena. “And I think it'll serve everybody well to have some knowledge of this before they come in.”
Bilskey has some advice on when you should visit urgent care and when you should pick a different option for your medical needs.
What Conditions Are Treated by Urgent Care?
Urgent care is a walk-in service where you can get testing and treatment for many injuries and illnesses. You can get medical attention without waiting for an appointment.
There are many conditions that are non-life-threatening and don’t require hospitalization but can’t wait for the time it often takes to see your primary care provider.
So for example, let’s say you have mild to moderate, acute illness symptoms, a burn or injury that is not bleeding too severely, or minor allergies or skin conditions. Your life may not be at risk, but you probably don’t want to wait long for an appointment either. An urgent care clinic may be able to help.
Some of the common conditions urgent care screens for and treats include the following:
- Minor allergies
- Simple bladder, urinary and gynecological issues
- Upper respiratory, ear, nose and throat infections — bronchitis, cold, strep throat, sore throat, ear infection, mononucleosis and cough
- COVID-19
- Flu
- Pink eye
- Head lice
- Skin conditions — hives, cold sores, poison ivy, minor rash, ringworm and scabies
- Muscle aches and pains
- Minor broken bones, sprains, strains and sports injuries
- Minor cuts that need stitches
- Splinter removal
When Should You Go to an Emergency Room Instead of Urgent Care?
While urgent care can give you medical attention without an appointment, it isn’t the same as an ER where you may also go for immediate care.
“Big picture — urgent care is not the setting for any life-threatening or emergency conditions,” Bilskey says. “It’s also not the place for a patient who thinks they have a condition that they need to be hospitalized for or needs immediate diagnostic testing not available at urgent care.”
Some of the most common problems Bilskey sees in urgent care that should instead be treated in the ER include the following:
- Chest pain that could be a sign of a heart attack
- Difficulty breathing
- Blood clot in the leg or lung
- Severe abdominal pain
- Appendicitis
- Suicidal thoughts
- Head injuries with changes in mental state or vomiting
- Difficulty speaking or understanding speech
- Severe bone fractures or dislocated joints
- Wounds that bleed profusely or may cause significant cosmetic damage, especially to the face
- Severe cold- or flu-like symptoms
- Possible poisoning
- Drug overdose
- Dizziness with fainting
- Confusion or significant fatigue in an elderly patient
When Should You Go to Primary Care Instead of Urgent Care?
You may notice that many of the services urgent care provides could probably also be covered by your primary care physician. So why not just make an appointment with your regular doctor?
“One reason why urgent care clinics exist is because many patients have barriers to seeing their primary care physicians,” Bilskey says. “Many primary care offices cannot accommodate them within a short, reasonable period of time.”
So if you have a condition that needs quick care but isn’t life-threatening, urgent care may be a more appropriate option than primary care.
On the other hand, there are many situations where your primary care provider would be more helpful than urgent care.
“Sometimes patients will come into urgent care regarding concerns with chronic illnesses, and those are typically things that we don't manage,” Bilskey says.
Some chronic illnesses and services that your primary care physician can help with better than urgent care include the following:
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Coronary artery disease
- Weight management
- Asthma
- Arthritis
- Chronic or seasonal allergies
- Annual checkups and preventive screenings
- Vaccinations
- Prescription refills
“If it's not a time-sensitive issue, you should do what you can to stay with your primary care physician even if there's going to be a wait time,” Bilskey says. “You’ll be best served by them rather than urgent care.”
FAQs About What’s Available at Urgent Care
Q: Can you get X-rays at urgent care?
- A: You can get X-rays at some urgent care clinics for minor broken bones but not all of them. Rush Urgent Care in downtown Chicago offers X-rays and so does Rush Convenient Care Aurora West Galena.
Q: Can you get stitches at urgent care?
- A: Yes, urgent care offers suturing for minor cuts and wounds. But if your bleeding is profuse and uncontrollable, you may need to get to the ER. Major blood loss can become life-threatening.
Q: Does urgent care provide STD testing?
- A: Yes, urgent care can provide screening and treatment for many common sexually transmitted infections and diseases. These include chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis. You can also get tests and treatment for common gynecological issues, such as vaginal discharge, that are not related to STIs or STDs.
For more serious, chronic sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV, you may begin screening at an urgent care clinic but will likely be referred to primary care for further treatment.
Q: Can you get blood work at urgent care?
- A: Yes, you can get blood work done at urgent care. But many urgent care facilities rely on off-site labs for testing. That means that results may not be available for one or two business days after samples have been taken and sent out — possibly longer. This may be more useful if you plan to follow up with your primary care physician for further management of a condition that isn't treated at urgent care.
Q: Can you get a COVID-19 test at urgent care?
- A: Yes, urgent care clinics can test for COVID-19, and it is a very common test. Rush clinics perform screenings on a daily basis.
Q: Can you get an ultrasound at urgent care?
- A: Some urgent care clinics offer ultrasound imaging, but Rush clinics do not. If you need an ultrasound for immediate care, you may be directed to an emergency room.
Q: Can you get urgent care virtually?
- A: Some urgent care clinics offer virtual services or e-visits, but there are some services that require an in-person visit. Rush offers online urgent care options, and you can learn more about them on our On Demand Virtual Urgent Care page.
Overall, urgent care can meet many of your immediate medical needs without an appointment, so long as you know what they have to offer.
“Most patients are aware of the challenges in access to quick care, and that's the value that urgent care offers people," Bilskey says. “But they need to keep in mind exactly what we do perform and what we treat here.”
If you need urgent care, you can visit Rush Urgent Care in Chicago’s River North neighborhood or one of our convenient care locations in the Chicago area.
