ER vs Urgent care: What’s The Difference?

At University Urgent Care in Fort Worth, TX, we help patients in North Texas when they’re feeling sick or have experienced an injury. Visit our TCU urgent care center to eliminate a long wait in the emergency room and receive the help you need. Our ER doctors and nurse practitioners and professional staff can treat a variety of illnesses and injuries. We also offer diagnostic imaging, including x-rays and ultrasounds. Read on to find out more about when you should visit an urgent care facility in Fort Worth, TX, including Frisco Heights, Tanglewood, Paschal, and in the TCU neighborhood areas.

Many people wonder if urgent care and ER facilities are interchangeable. Urgent care centers can fill in for your regular doctor and provide acute medical care or routine treatment for injuries. While we don’t have an operating room, we can accommodate simple lab tests. At University Urgent Care centers in Fort Worth, TX, you will be seen much faster than at the ER. However, an emergency room can treat anything and offers more extensive testing. Also, the costs associated with an urgent care visit and an emergency room will vary. At University Urgent Care, we can help you to understand all financial obligations at your visit to our TCU urgent care center.

• When should I go to urgent care?
• You should visit your nearest urgent care if:
• You need blood work or x-rays
• You have cuts and scrapes from a fall
• You have a fever (children and infants should go to the ER)
• You suspect that you have a cold, respiratory, sinus, or ear infection
• You experience nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea for more than two days
• You have a sore throat and/or swollen lymph nodes
• You need stitches for a minor cut
• You think you have a sprain
• You have an unexplained rash or a minor burn
• You’re experiencing an allergic reaction, but can still breathe (If you are having trouble breathing, go to the ER)
• You’re having uncomfortable urinary symptoms, such as burning when urinating or blood in the urine

At University Urgent Care, we can treat these conditions and get you home quickly to recover.

When should I visit an ER?

Emergency rooms should only be used for emergency situations. When you have a life-threatening condition, go straight to the nearest ER. Other times you should visit an emergency room and not our urgent care center include:

• Difficulty breathing or swollen airways
• Chest pain
• Severe bleeding
• Head trauma
• Loss of vision or any other sense
• Broken bones

The difference between urgent care and an emergency room is the severity of the health issue. If a condition is a minor illness or injury, take advantage of your nearest urgent care center in Fort Worth, TX.

Is it cheaper to go to urgent care or the emergency room?

Urgent care is usually more convenient than visiting the ER. It is also cost-effective, regardless of whether or not you have insurance. The costs associated with an urgent care visit will depend on your illness or injury; if you have insurance, as well as If you’ve met your deductible; how much your copay is; and if our urgent care center is in or out of your network. Our staff can explain all costs associated with your urgent care visit with you at our Fort Worth, TX office.

Treat minor injuries or illnesses at our college urgent care

At University Urgent Care, we treat patients throughout North Texas with minor injuries or illnesses. Conveniently located in Fort Worth, TX, University Urgent Care serves the Frisco Heights, Tanglewood, Paschal, and all TCU neighborhood areas. We offer telehealth appointments so you can be treated properly from the comfort of your home, which reduces your risk of contracting coronavirus during this pandemic.

If you do want to visit our TCU urgent care, we will screen you before you enter our facility. We follow all CDC guidelines to make sure that our patients and staff stay safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also offer coronavirus testing. To schedule an appointment for urgent care services, call our professional team today at our TCU clinic.