Considering whether to visit the ER or whether to google 24 hour emergency clinic near me and visit them can be a hard decision especially when you’re looking for family and not for you. Knowing the differences is important, but understanding other important factors is too. Things like who actually pays the insanely high ER bill when the incident was in fact not a true emergency? Things such as the difference in copays between ER centers and urgent care center. Things like medical insurance. All these things should be taken into consideration when choosing where to go for medical care. Consider these pointers to help steer you in the right direction.
Copays
Those visiting a 24 emergency care clinic usually go when the doctors offices aren’t open. This typically happens because patients feel as though they can ride out the sickness or pain, and once they are in their nighttime hours they realize that the pain or the sickness keeps them up night. Before making this decision and finding yourself searching for a 24 hour emergency clinic near me, ensure that you honestly can’t wait until in the morning. Considering that almost three-fourths of all visits to the ER from those with consumer-sponsored insurance are for situations that are not truly emergencies, this leads to paying higher copays for treatment one could get from other after hours medical care centers, such as urgent care centers or a walk in clinic. Less than three percent of patients seeking care from an urgent care actually have to be transported to the emergency room, meaning most conditions are capable of being treated at urgent care locations.
State Insurance
There are some who have a hard time finding a 24 hour emergency clinic near me to take them with their state insurance. If they do find someone to take them, majority of the time it is an emergency room rather than an urgent care facility. Finding the right treatment depending on insurance doesn’t have to be hard. More and more facilities are coming on board with state insurance despite the added amount of paperwork and the reduced reimbursement rates that these facilities seem to wait forever for. Knowing which center to go to helps, but knowing which center takes your state insurance is even better. Call ahead and make sure that your state insurance is accepted at local urgent care centers before heading to the emergency room. Your wait time will be reduced, they cost less, and if you need emergency care urgent care centers can get you to where you need to go.
Total Costs
Most commercial insurance companies pick up most of the cost for an emergency room visit, but this does not mean consumers are off the hook. Many times despite what insurance pays, many consumers find themselves paying hefty bills as well. The facility portion of the bill alone can be multiple hundreds of dollars while the physician bill can be just as much. This not only causes a strain on consumers but insurance companies as well. This is the leading cost of rising premiums and copays for consumers. Utilizing emergency rooms for true emergencies can cut out much of the unnecessary cost. Over half of all cases treated at the ER can successfully be treated at urgent care, but the burden lies in determining the best course of treatment. Insurance companies for pediatrics do not have to pay for such care that is not deemed a true emergency, however state law has no immediate definition to override what a parent deems as a true emergency, therefore they are typically left to cover the cost.
Although there is no right or wrong answer these considerations will help make you feel more comfortable about the choice that you decide to make. These considerations will allow you to take all the information at hand into account before deciding where to go. Whether you decide to visit any of the search results retrieved when searching for a 24 hour emergency clinic near me, or an urgent care facility near you, you can be sure that you have weighed the pros and cons and considered all the information before making the right choice for you or your family.
