ER or urgent care? Condition, cost could decide where you should go in Springfield

Susan Szuch, Springfield News-Leader
·4 min read

With everyone being more active during the summer, there are more opportunities for injury. It can be difficult to tell whether to take someone to urgent care or to the emergency department. So how do you know whether to wait for an appointment with your primary care provider, visit urgent care or go to the emergency room?

Here are some things to consider when trying to decide, including what symptoms you're dealing with and the cost associated with visits.

If you are in immediate danger, call 911 immediately.

What conditions necessitate going to the emergency room?

Unless a condition is life-threatening, it's generally better to go to urgent care rather than the emergency room. The University of Chicago says that emergency rooms are for when a person is "systemically sick": when an illness affects the whole body, there's sudden onset of severe symptoms or severe pain, a fever that won't break or the inability to move an arm or leg or breathe normally.

According to Mercy, the following conditions should be seen at the emergency room:

  • Severe breathing difficulty;

  • Chest pain;

  • Heart rate over 120 to 150 beats per minute;

  • Someone fainting or becoming unresponsive;

  • Difficulty speaking;

  • Heavy bleeding;

  • Broken bones visible through the skin;

  • Drowning;

  • Choking;

  • Severe burns;

  • Allergic reaction with breathing difficulty;

  • Extremely hot or cold;

  • Poisoning or drug overdose;

  • New severe headache;

  • Sudden intense, severe pain;

  • Sudden blindness or vision change.

When should you go to urgent care?

According to Mercy and CoxHealth, the following conditions can be treated at urgent care:

  • Cough, cold and flu;

  • Sore throat;

  • Ear problems;

  • Fever;

  • Sprains or possible broken bones;

  • Minor burns, scrapes or cuts;

  • Animal or insect bites;

  • Urinary discomfort;

  • Flu, strep or mono.

Some urgent care locations will also do sports physicals, DOT physicals and occupational medicine services like drug testing and return-to-work exams.

Time, cost can also factor into decision

If the condition is something that isn't pressing, sometimes an appointment with a primary care provider can be your best bet when it comes to saving time and money, according to health insurance company Blue Cross Blue Shield. Your PCP already has your medical history and the co-pay for a doctor's office visit is much less than an emergency room visit co-pay.

Before heading to an urgent care clinic, check to see if your insurance covers services that location. Urgent care costs depend on the service provided as well as the type of health insurance you have — UnitedHealthcare says an urgent care visit costs an average of $185 for their members, while an emergency room visit can cost an average of $2,700.

Emergency departments handle cases based on severity, so seeking care for a non-life-threatening condition can mean a longer wait. According to data released by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, from July 2022 to June 2023, patients spent an average of 157 minutes in Missouri emergency department before leaving from the visit.

Urgent care wait times are not tracked by the CMS, but UnitedHealthcare and urgent care clinics estimate the average wait at 30 minutes or less. Unlike emergency departments, urgent care patients are generally seen on a first-come, first-served basis.

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What are my options in Springfield?

Both major health systems in the Springfield area — Mercy and CoxHealth — offer emergency department and urgent care services.

CoxHealth has two emergency department locations in Springfield and Mercy has one.

  • Cox North Emergency Department, 1423 N. Jefferson Ave., is open 24/7. Phone is 417-269-4083.

  • Cox South Emergency Department, 3801 S. National Ave., is open 24/7. Phone is 417-269-3393.

  • Mercy Hospital Springfield Emergency Department, 1235 E. Cherokee St., is open 24/7. Phone is 417-820-2000.

Both health systems have four urgent care locations in Springfield. With the exception of CoxHealth's Turner Center, all CoxHealth urgent care locations are open 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Additionally, CoxHealth's urgent care location at 1429 W. Sunshine St. is temporarily closed. Mercy's urgent care centers are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Since the 24/7 Urgent Care Plus at 1000 E. Primrose St. is hospital-based, it may have higher costs, according to CoxHealth.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: ER or urgent care? Here's what to consider before making a choice