Urgent Care Vs Emergency Room?

When to Go to Urgent Care

Urgent care clinics are for non-life-threatening conditions that still need prompt attention.

Typical urgent care cases include:

• Cuts that may need stitches

• Minor fractures or sprains

• Ear infections or sore throats

• Urinary tract infections

• Mild allergic reactions without breathing problems

Urgent care usually has shorter waits and lower costs than the ER.

When to Go to the Emergency Room

The ER is for **serious or life-threatening conditions that require immediate, advanced care.

Go to the ER for:

• Chest pain or pressure

• Difficulty breathing

• Severe head injuries

• Stroke symptoms (slurred speech, facial drooping, weakness)

• Heavy bleeding that won't stop

• Severe burns

The ER is open 24/7 and equipped for advanced imaging, surgery, and critical care.

Check Before You Go to Urgent Care—Get a Free, Instant Symptom Check with Ubie Health

The Ubie AI Symptom Checker:

1. Asks targeted questions about your symptoms—just like a triage nurse would.

2. Analyzes over 1,200 conditions using up-to-date medical guidelines.

3. Tells you instantly whether urgent care, the ER, your doctor, or home care is safest.

This means you can avoid ER bills for conditions urgent care could treat—or urgent care bills for conditions that should be treated in the ER.

Cost and Wait Time Differences

• Urgent Care: $150–$200 average visit cost (before tests), often under 1-hour wait.

• ER: $600+ average cost (can exceed $3,000), wait times may be several hours unless critical.

Why You Should Always Check Before You Go

Before leaving home, get a FREE, instant symptom check with Ubie Health to see if urgent care is really the right place. It's:

• Backed by doctors

• Trusted by over 12 million users

• Available 24/7