When to Visit an Emergency Room vs a Rapid Care Clinic

We all know how stressful it can be to seek the right care, whether for ourselves or a loved one. Sometimes it’s unclear whether an emergency room or a rapid care clinic is the better choice. The emergency room is for serious, life-threatening conditions like severe injuries, heart problems, or strokes, where you need immediate, specialized care. Rapid care, on the other hand, is for less urgent situations, like minor illnesses or injuries, offering faster service without the long wait times of an ER. It’s about making sure you get the right care at the right time, in a setting that meets your needs.

Rapid care clinic

Rapid care clinics provide you with quick medical assistance when your primary care provider is unavailable or it's after hours. 

Go for: Back strains, bronchitis, bug bites, cuts and minor burns, coughs. diarrhea and vomiting, ear aches, flu and colds, sinus and nasal conditions, sore throats, sprains and fractures, persistent vomiting/diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, shortness of breath, snakebite, withdrawal

• Availability: Extended hours, including weekends
• Wait time: Varies; typically first come, first served
• Cost: Generally higher than your doctor but lower than an emergency room; some urgent care centers offer a convenient flat cash-pay price

Emergency room

Emergency rooms are a crucial service at your local hospital and are staffed around the clock with physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and emergency care nurses.

Go for: Trouble breathing, fainting, heart attack or stroke, severe headache, prolonged dizziness, sudden confusion, severe bleeding or cuts that expose bone or tissue, broken bones, serious burns, coughing up blood, severe pain, severe allergic reactions, high fever, persistent vomiting or diarrhea, seizures, suicidal thoughts

• Availability: Always open
• Wait time: Varies; more serious conditions get seen first
• Cost: Most expensive, but also well-equipped to deal with every ailment — and quickly; most insurance plans cover at least part of emergency room costs