HomeMy WebLinkAboutBlue Shield - Urgent Care vs ER FlyerYou can save time and money by
going to an urgent care center
About urgent care centers
An urgent care center can provide many of the same basic medical services as your doctor’s office – often with extended hours –
and lower out-of-pocket costs than the emergency room. Staffed with licensed physicians, urgent care centers are ideal for
non-emergency care when your doctor isn’t available.
vs.Urgent care Emergency room
Sprains, strains, and sports injuries
Cuts and abrasions
Fever, colds, coughs, sore throats,
sinus problems, and earaches
Diarrhea or stomach cramps
Urinary tract infections
Skin allergies and rashes
Insect and animal bites
Chest pain or heart attack
Stroke, weakness, or numbness on one side
Fractures
Severe bleeding
Severe abdominal pain
Difficulty breathing
Head injury or other major trauma
Loss of consciousness
You’ll save both time and money when you visit an urgent care center versus an emergency room. Urgent care centers offer you quality
care at lower out-of-pocket costs for non-emergency conditions. The wait times at most urgent care centers are typically less than at
California emergency rooms, where average wait times are about four hours and 34 minutes.*
Your health plan type and finding the right urgent care center
HMO plan members
• Call your doctor’s office to help you find the closest urgent
care center you can visit. You can only seek care at urgent
care centers affiliated with your doctor’s medical group
or Independent Practice Association.
• Before you seek care, get an authorization from your doctor’s
office to make sure your HMO plan covers the services
you receive.
PPO plan members
• If your doctor isn’t available, visit any urgent care center for
covered services.
• See providers within the Blue Shield network for lower out-of-
pocket costs.
• To locate a Blue Shield–contracted urgent care center near
you, log in to blueshieldca.com/find-a-doctor. Select Urgent
Care and enter your location. You have the option to go
anywhere you like. However, you’ll have lower out-of-pocket
costs if you visit a network provider.
For a detailed description of coverage benefits and limitations,
please consult your health plan’s Evidence of Coverage or
Certificate of Insurance/Policy.
If you feel you’re experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 immediately or go to the nearest emergency room.Bl
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* “Emergency Department Pulse Report,” American College of Emergency Physicians and Press Ganey, 2010.
blueshieldca.com