Emergency Room

When Should You Go to The Emergency Room?

Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center offers a 24-Hour Level V Emergency Department for patients in Odessa, Washington and the surrounding areas. Emergency Rooms offer basic emergency care to patients with traumatic injuries, immediate medical needs and medical issues that arise outside of normal business hours. But how do you know if your medical needs require a trip to the emergency Room?

To keep hospitals’ emergency rooms from being overcrowded with patients whose conditions are moderate and could be treated elsewhere, you must pay attention to your body and determine the severity of your symptoms. This way, you won’t have to waste time and money when an emergency room visit isn’t required.

The National Center for Health Statistics revealed that 48% of patients who came to the ER but were not hospitalized did so because their local clinic was closed.

How Does the Emergency Room Differ from Urgent Care/OMHC Clinic Visit?

Emergency Rooms

Unlike Urgent Care/OMHC Clinic Visit centers or walk-in clinics, ERs have legal obligations under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act of 1986 (EMTALA). It mandates that they provide care to anybody who seeks it, regardless of whether or not they have the resources to pay.

The emergency room can handle most severe medical situations. Most of them are part of a more extensive medical complex that offers a wider variety of care.

The following are features of ERs:

Time: They’re open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Manpower: If a hospital or emergency room is open, at least one doctor must be on duty. Most of these doctors have completed residency and board certification in emergency medicine. In addition to regular medical staff, most ERs have advanced practice clinicians trained to handle medical emergencies.
Age group: ERs handle patients of all ages. While pediatric emergency rooms exist, all emergency medicine specialists are well-versed in caring for children as well as adults.
Diagnostics: They can undertake a broad variety of blood and urine tests.
Imaging: They provide every kind of imaging test imaginable, from X-ray to ultrasound to computed tomography to magnetic resonance imaging.
Treatments: All drugs that could be needed in an emergency can be found at hospital and ER pharmacies. Heart and blood pressure lowering drugs, breathing aids, pain relievers, antibiotics, intravenous fluids, and blood products all fall under this category. And that’s not all!
Appointments: You can’t schedule an appointment with them. When patients check in, they go through a priority procedure to help the personnel prioritize their care.
Payment: Payment is not expected at the time service is provided.

When Should You Use the Emergency Room?

If you’re experiencing any of the following signs and symptoms, you should go to the emergency room immediately for an assessment:

Heavy loss of blood
Complex fracture (the bone that protrudes through the skin) (the bone that protrudes through the skin)
Sudden, excruciating pain in the belly
Stroke symptoms
Seizures
Consequences of a head injury
Vision impairment
Constriction or tightness in the chest
Pneumonia
Discomfort in breathing
Paralysis or sudden weakness
Pregnancy-related vaginal discharge or pelvic/abdominal discomfort

Urgent Care/OMHC Clinic Visit Centers

While Odessa memorial Healthcare Center does not offer Urgent Care/OMHC Clinic Visit services, it is important to know when Urgent Care/OMHC Clinic Visit would be a better option than coming to the emergency room – ususally when you need basic medical care outside of normal business hours.

Features common to Urgent Care/OMHC Clinic Visit centers include:

Time: Almost all are accessible all year round, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including late-night and weekend hours.
Manpower: Although variations exist, most facilities have at least one doctor and one advanced practice provider on staff (such as a nurse practitioner or physician assistant). These doctors’ areas of expertise may range from emergency care to internal medicine and beyond (primary care).
Age group: Even while most clinics handle patients of all ages, some may not treat tiny kids. However, facilities dedicated to treating minors under 18 are also available.
Diagnostics: Most only have the equipment and expertise to do basic laboratory tests like glucose monitoring and urine analysis. Some people may be able to do fundamental lab work, such as a sample of blood or an electrolyte panel.
Imaging: While most provide X-ray services, more sophisticated imaging techniques such as CT scans and MRIs are seldom available.
Treatments: Intravenous (IV) lines can be placed to provide fluids or drugs, although this isn’t always possible. As a result, they may not be able to provide additional IV drugs, such as painkillers or antibiotics, to the patient.
Appointments: In most cases, patients are seen without having to schedule an appointment in advance. While same-day appointments and wait lists are options at specific clinics, they are not always guaranteed.
Payment: It’s crucial to be aware that any organization does not govern Urgent Care/OMHC Clinic Visit centers. Because of this, the quality of treatment provided by each varies widely. It also implies that they are exempt from the need to provide care to those who cannot afford it.

When Should You Use Urgent Care/OMHC Clinic Visit?

An Urgent Care/OMHC Clinic Visit center may diagnose and treat the following conditions:

X-rays
Difficulty moving about, or soreness in the back or muscles
Bruises and nicks
Sickness similar to that caused by a cold or flu
Stitches
Diarrhea
Ear infection
Skin disorders
Soreness in the limbs or sprains
Respiratory infection
Urinary tract infections
Fractures, Minor
Immunizations
Vomiting, nausea
Small, tolerable headaches
Examination of the blood
Fever
Face discomfort caused by sinusitis
Injuries to the eyes or nose due to a foreign item
Illnesses, including a bad cough or sore throat
In-Lab Services
Mild reactions to allergens
Bites from animals
Allergies
Rashes and mild burns
Pain, redness, or swelling of the eyes

Walk-In Clinics

Minute clinics, walk-in clinics, minor emergency centers, and after-hours clinics are all names for the same kind of medical facility. The best way to conceptualize them is as regular medical clinics or offices, not emergency rooms.

However, the advantages of these clinics over regular doctors’ offices include longer operating hours and the ability to schedule appointments on the spot. Additionally, the person may have greater expertise in dealing with urgent issues than a local clinic.

Differences In Services: Emergency Room Vs. Urgent Care/OMHC Clinic Visit

A visit to an Urgent Care/OMHC Clinic Visit clinic is an excellent option for patients with minor to moderate symptoms needing treatment immediately or outside of regular business hours.

On the other hand, if your symptoms are severe, the emergency room is open 24/7 and ready to treat patients whenever they arrive. They differ from walk-in clinics and Urgent Care/OMHC Clinic Visit facilities in that they are prepared to handle patients with more severe conditions, such as those who have had a heart attack or a stroke or who have been in a vehicle accident and sustained severe injuries.

The Cost Difference Between an Emergency Room and Urgent Care/OMHC Clinic Visit

When deciding whether you need to seek treatment at an emergency room, it is important to remember that your medical bill will likely be higher for a visit to the ER. Going to an emergency room will almost always result in substantially higher costs. Out-of-pocket expenses may include but are not limited to prescription drugs, injections/IVs, laboratory testing, and X-rays.

There is a significant price difference between the emergency room and an Urgent Care/OMHC Clinic Visit clinic. It’s important to remember that the actual out-of-pocket expenses may be more significant, depending on the nature and extent of your treatment.

For a true medical emergency, price will not be a concern, and you should get to the emergency room as quickly as possible. For health matters where time or severity of symptoms aren’t as much of an issue, Urgent Care/OMHC Clinic Visit provides a solid alternative to the ER.

You can rely on obtaining excellent medical care at Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center in Odessa, WA. Our Emergency Room is open 24-hours, and provides comprehensive emergency care and Level V trauma care.