Knowing where to go when you’re sick or injured can save you time and money. Here’s a quick guide to help you choose the right healthcare setting.

Your primary care doctor should be your first choice in non-emergency situations. He or she knows your health history, including any chronic conditions that might need to be considered in your treatment. Plus, the co-pay for a visit to your doctor’s office will cost far less than a trip to the emergency room.

Urgent care centers are walk-in clinics designed to treat simple conditions like colds, ear infections, and minor cuts, sprains, and burns. Urgent care centers have doctors and nurses on staff and can perform x-rays and labs onsite. In most cases, the out-of-pocket cost for visiting an urgent care center is less than a trip to the emergency room, and many urgent care centers are open late and on weekends and holidays.

Emergency rooms are designed to treat urgent, life-threatening conditions and aren’t the place for routine care or minor ailments such as colds and flu. Visiting your primary care doctor or an urgent care center instead will save you time and money, and clear the way for patients in need of emergency treatment.

If you’re looking for a primary care doctor or urgent care center, our Find A Doctor tool can help you find doctors, pharmacies, hospitals, facilities, and much more.

Any questions?

We’re here to help. Call us at 713.295.6704, toll-free at 1.815.315.5386 or visit our website.

Community is more than a health plan. We’re a nonprofit health plan. We know that health care is expensive. Our goal is to help our Members get all the great care your family needs and the best bang for your buck. Ready to defend your dollars? Read our monthly tips to find out how it pays to be smart about healthcare spending. It might be easier than you think to save money. And who wouldn’t want to do that these days?