They’re not pleasant scenarios: You’ve had an accident and sustained a significant injury. Or your loved one has become seriously ill. Or you’re experiencing a medical issue and you’re not sure whether immediate medical care is warranted, but you don’t want to take any chances. In these circumstances, do you head for the urgent care center or the emergency room? What are the criteria to make one or the other appropriate for your situation? 

At El Mirage Emergency Room we want to make sure you are equipped to make the logical, safest choice for where to go for medical treatment. So, if the time comes that you need to make a decision quickly, you’re informed and confident despite the stress of a medical issue.

If you are unsure the level of care you need, contact the El Mirage Emergency Room, we have great information on the benefits of visiting each one for your medical needs.

Here is what you need to know about the El Mirage Emergency Room:

Our El Mirage Emergency Room is a physician-owned free-standing ER in the state of Arizona. The medical professionals who own the facility are also the physicians who work here. It is open 24 hours a day, has short wait times, and is able to provide reliable, rapid care to all who come in with an emergent need. Our ER is equipped with eight ER beds, five observation beds, a full radiology department, CT, X-ray, ultrasound, EKG capabilities, and laboratory services. 

While we strive to provide emergency care that is affordable, emergency room visits are billed to your insurance at a higher amount than urgent care visits. Your insurance is mandated by federal law to pay at least the in-network rates for your ER visit, allowing you to utilize the ER closest to you without worrying about cost differentiation. We do not hold our patients responsible for high deductibles. Under Federal Law, if you are insured, you have the right to visit any Emergency Room of your choice without worrying about your Insurance penalizing you regardless of whether the facility is part of your insurance network or not. Our Facility specifically does not hold our patients responsible for high deductibles and we do not balance bill. Balance billing is illegal under Federal law.  

Our emergency room allows access to care more quickly, and also access to special medical equipment for emergency tests and scanning.

Here’s just a partial list of what constitutes an emergency room visit:

• Sudden onset of severe symptoms
• Sudden, severe pain or loss of use in any part of body, including pain in chest, arm, jaw
• Inability to breathe normally
• Severe allergic reaction
• Uncontrollable bleeding
• Change in mental status or becoming unconscious
• Any life-threatening issue

Here’s a partial list of what constitutes an urgent care center visit:

• A minor fracture or sprain
• Skin infections or rashes
• Cuts that need stitches but are not bleeding severely
• A significant fever or flu, and severe symptoms related to those
• Urinary tract infections
• Breathing difficulties that are not emergent

To break it down clearly for our patients, life-threatening emergencies require a visit to the El Mirage Emergency Room. We’re here for you no matter the day or time and we’re excited to partner with you to provide you with the very best medical care that’s right in your community.

Sources:

• uchicagomedicine.org
• mountsinai.org