Healthcare Directory

58 | 2018 Medical & Dental Directory GENERAL MEDICINE Accidents or illness can happen out of the blue, requiring immediate medical attention. But should the care come through an emergency department or urgent care? The answer isn't always simple, especially if severe symptoms are present and a regular doctor isn't available for advice. So, knowing the difference between an ED and urgent care beforehand can save a lot of headache, and even a life. Emergency Department or Urgent Care? THE BEST CARE REQUIRES THE BEST CHOICE BY DONNIE BYERS Like many healthcare topics, the debate between EDs and urgent cares has increased in recent years. Most people automatically think of an ED when they need a doctor in a hurry. But Americans may finally be changing their thinking as urgent cares continue to grow in popularity. The rise can be attributed to three Cs: cost, convenience, and care responsiveness. The foremost is care responsiveness. In this regard, urgent cares usually have an advantage. Urgent cares and other walk-in facilities, such as Cape Fear Valley's three ExpressCares, typically have much shorter wait times, compared to larger, hospital-based EDs. As for convenience, patients are seen on a walk-in basis; usually first come, first served. Urgent cares also tend to accept most major insurance plans, but patient billing can vary.* Many first-time users are surprised to learn that these facilities can handle many of the bumps, bruises and minor illnesses only EDs could once treat. Issues include small sprains, small cuts, simple fractures, allergies, ear infections, urinary tract infections, colds, flu, and sore throats. The biggest draw may be cost, however. These smaller facilities can charge much less than an ED visit. That's a compelling reason for many to use them. Despite all the advantages, EDs still have their place, according to Richard T. Ferro, M.D., CAQSM, Cape Fear Valley's ExpressCare Medical Director. "Urgent cares are usually the most appropriate option," Dr. Ferro said. "But if we get a patient suffering from a true medical emergency, then we try to get them over to the Emergency Department as quickly as possible." That's because some conditions, like heart attacks and strokes, have finite response times before long-term damage or death occurs. Dr. Ferro calls the treatment window "life time." He says patients with heart attack or stroke

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