Special offer

When To Skip The ER ~ Top Tips

By
Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899

When to skip the ER ~ Top Tips


Med Spring Urgent Care Volente Plaza 402-6830 NW Austin TXWhen faced with an illness or injury do you immediately head for the ER?  You might want to re-think your initial reaction. Make sure you’re not faced with imminent danger concerning a patient’s life, limb or vision. If you’re dealing with non-threatening illness and injuries and your primary care physician can’t see the patient it makes sense to avoid the costly emergency room visit. Visiting an urgent care facility can be less time consuming and certainly less costly!

MedSpring Urgent care facility in Volente Plaza located right next to the HEB on Highway 620 and Anderson Mill Road is open and very convenient for those of us living in Canyon Creek.  Meghan Sylvester, the Outreach Coordinator with MedSpring, has been kind enough to provide us with a very insightful article on the top points on skipping a visit to the ER!!

Top Tips: When to Skip the ER

 

            Knowing when to visit an Urgent Care Center will save you time and money

 

By: Jon Belsher, M.D., MedSpring Chief Medical Officer

 

 

Austin area emergency rooms are no stranger to the issue of overcrowding and long wait times. For many people, the immediate reaction in the face of an illness or injury is to head for the ER.  While appropriate when the patient’s life, limb or vision is endangered, most ER visits could be addressed much faster and at a lower cost in an urgent care center.

Urgent care centers offer quality care for non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries when your primary care doctor can't treat you right away or if you don't have a doctor in the area. Knowing when you can avoid an emergency room visit will make your treatment both less time consuming and less costly.

When to visit an Urgent Care Center:

  • Minor Accidents. Many urgent care centers are staffed by doctors supported by digital X-rays. Some examples of a minor accident include: sprains or strains, puncture wounds, scrapes and cuts, and broken bones.  

 

  • Illnesses. Minor illnesses can pop up overnight, especially during the winter and spring seasons. With on-site lab equipment, urgent care physicians can quickly diagnose infections, colds and other illnesses. Some examples of a minor illness include: coughs and sore throats, ear/eye infections, fever or flu-like symptoms, diarrhea and headaches.

 

  • Flu Shots. Urgent care centers are an easy and convenient resource for flu shots. Walk-ins are welcome and no appointments are necessary for treatment or vaccines.

 

  • Student physicals. During the summer and back-to-school months, getting an appointment with your primary care or family practice doctor can be especially challenging. Urgent care centers conduct physicals for sports teams, summer camps or schools and no appointments are necessary.


Additionally, while co-pays vary by insurance provider, urgent care patients can expect to pay $35 to $50, compared to typical ER co-pays of $100 to $200 or more. For those with high-deductibles, the cost difference could be $1,000 or more. Additionally, compared to the national average emergency room visit of more than four hours, many urgent care visits last less than an hour.

If you are experiencing a non-emergency accident or illness and want to avoid the emergency room, consider visiting a local MedSpring Urgent Care Center for quality care and a time-efficient experience.

For more information about MedSpring Urgent Care, please visit http://medspring.com.

About MedSpring Urgent Care
MedSpring Urgent Care operates centers in Austin, Chicago, and Houston that deliver quality care and exceptional service. For more information, including patient reviews and savings compared to an ER, please visit http://www.medspring.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

 

About the Author, Dr. Belsher
MedSpring’s clinical team is led by Chief Medical Officer, Jon L. Belsher, M.D., board certified in both Critical Care and Internal Medicine. Dr. Belsher received his training at UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, TX and at the Mayo Clinic in both Scottsdale, AZ and Rochester, MN. Dr. Belsher was formerly a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard where he was the chief of Aerospace Medicine at the Air National Guard’s largest medical unit.

This community service announcement is brought to you by Dorie Dillard, your NW Austin area real estate professional with Coldwell Banker United Realtors®.

 

 

Sellers, if you want to gain the advantage in selling your Canyon Creek home you must employ the services of Dorie Dillard.  I am a known and trusted source for all our community needs. I would appreciate the opportunity to earn your business and exceed your expectations. Put my expertise to work and call me at 512-346-1799.

Search for real estate in NW Austin

“WE ARE ALWAYS HERE TO ASSIST  YOU!”

 

 

Posted by

(512) 750-6899
CALL OR TEXT

EMAIL ME

My ActiveRain Blog

ReloAustin.com
Austin Real Estate Website

CanyonCreekNews.com
Canyon Creek Neighborhood

I specialize in Listing and Selling homes in the NW Austin Area. I use my experience to guide clients through the process, whether selling or buying. It’s a beautiful thing when your career and a passion come together. I love what I do!

 

Comments (27)

Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Hi Melisaa,

I'm with you!!!

Mar 11, 2013 10:26 PM
Bobbie Smith
Stroudsburg, PA
570-242-1891

Good points Dorie. The advantages of Urgent Care Facilities popping up everywhere these days our numerous. Anything to avoid the ER when your family physician is not available are wonderful!  Our ER is always at least a 2 hour wait.

Mar 11, 2013 10:27 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Hi Frank,

The urgent care facilities are great to help take those non-threatening incidents out of the ER..they need the time for truly serious incidents.

Mar 11, 2013 10:28 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Hi Anita,

You are right, urgent care is for non-threatening problems.

Mar 11, 2013 10:29 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Hi Kathy,

Urgent care is a great alternative..take the load off the ER!

Mar 11, 2013 10:30 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Hi Patricia,

You are so right about that!!!!

Mar 11, 2013 10:30 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Hi Bobbie,

That is what so many are experiencing and why the Urgent Care is such a great alternative!

Mar 11, 2013 10:31 PM
Carol Zingone
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Florida Network Realty - Jacksonville Beach, FL
Global Realtor in Jax Beach, FL - ABR, CRS, CIPS
Dorie - with the growth of the urgent care places (and our local ones are now owned by Baptist, a large hospital), does make it easier to skip the ER.
Mar 11, 2013 10:31 PM
Joe Petrowsky
Mortgage Consultant, Right Trac Financial Group, Inc. NMLS # 2709 - Manchester, CT
Your Mortgage Consultant for Life

There is no reason to think that the care can't be as good as an emergency room most of the time, but not when it comes to major health events, like a heart attack or serious automobil accidents.

Mar 11, 2013 10:38 PM
Joanna Cohlan
Fresh Eyes For Your Home - Chappaqua, NY
Designing, Decorating & Staging Westchester Homes

Hi Dorie, excellent point.  I was away on vacation in Charleston South Carolina and had a very bad sinus infection so I visited an urgent care center and the experience could not have been better.  Quick in and out, no problems with insurance and a prescription at the local CVS and I was improved in 24 hours!

Mar 11, 2013 10:58 PM
John McCormack, CRS
Albuquerque Homes Realty - Albuquerque, NM
Honesty, Integrity, Results, Experienced. HIRE Me!

Good morning Dorie and good tips on When To Skip The ER.  In Albuquerque we have Urgent Care for the less serve needs and ER for the true emergencies.  Thankfully we've only had to go to Urgent Care twice once for horrible case of food poisoning and the other for a fall Debbie had breaking her foot. 

Mar 11, 2013 11:37 PM
Potranco Realty
Potranco Realty - San Antonio, TX
"Sold with Potranco Realty"

Good morning Dorie, great information to help the general public save money by visiting our Local Urgent Care Centers.

Very kind of Meghan Sylvester coordinator of the outreach Med-Spring to share helpful information.

Thanks Dorie...

Mar 11, 2013 11:43 PM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Good morning, Dorie -- great sugestion, not only in Austin but worthy of notice to everyone.   

Mar 12, 2013 12:31 AM
Adrian Willanger
206 909-7536 AdrianWillanger-broker.com - Seattle, WA
Profit from my two decades of experience

Hi Dorie-this is very valuable information to understand so when the time come you can make the right decisions.

Mar 12, 2013 02:55 AM
Cheryl Eskridge
Eskridge Real Estate - Eagle River, WI
ABR, CRS, GRI, PMN, Broker, Licensed in WI & TX

Great information for us. Thanks Dorie. Also I will be in Austin all next week and visiting ABOR, TAR and my agent in Wimberley. Hope all is going well for you in Austin. Maybe I will see you around town. Take care and again thanks for the great tips.

Mar 12, 2013 02:57 AM
Jerry Newman
Brown Realty, 210-789-4216, - San Antonio, TX
Texas REALTOR, San Antonio Military Relocation

Hi Dorie, Going to an Urgent Care Facility does make good sense if you don't have a Life Threatening event. I know it will save lots of money, and also save you lots of time too. I used to hate going to the ER because of the long wait times. They just recently built a new Urgent Care Facility near our home, and it even closer than the ER at the Medical Center.

Mar 12, 2013 04:12 AM
Karen Kruschka
RE/MAX Executives - Woodbridge, VA
- "My Experience Isn't Expensive - It's PRICELESS"

Dorie  In our area they are groeing by leaps and bounds - they really relieve the pressure on the ER

Mar 12, 2013 04:32 AM
Donna Harris
Donna Homes, powered by JPAR - TexasRealEstateMediationServices.com - Austin, TX
Realtor,Mediator,Ombudsman,Property Tax Arbitrator

The new ER that was built down here in Bee Cave is getting a bad rep because the Urgent Care place closed and people are going here, but not realizing it's not an urgent care place. It's a stand-alone 24 hour ER and they bill thousand$$$ for a visit.

Mar 12, 2013 07:08 AM
Erin Bates
CMG Financial and Expansion Marketing Services - Aurora, CO

I love this blog - it is very informative and makes a great point. The emergency room costs are extremely high in many cases and saving time and money can make a huge difference for many people.

Mar 12, 2013 07:12 AM
Dagny Eason
Dagny's Real Estate - Wilton, CT
Fairfield County CT, CDPE Homes For Sale and Condo

Dorie - Great post!   I hate the enormous wait at the ER - if it's not an emergency thsat the Urgent Care places can take care of, by all means - go!   Just be careful also about germs.... 

Mar 15, 2013 12:47 PM