You have an urgent health situation that needs attention right away. But where do you go: the hospital's emergency department, urgent care or express care? Here are the answers.
Advertisement
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
If you or a loved one has ever had an emergency or urgent health situation — a broken bone, a sprained ankle, pink eye — you may have wondered where to go for treatment. Should you go to a hospital emergency room, an urgent care center or an express care center? What are the differences among these facilities?
These lists can help you decide when you have a true medical emergency that requires an emergency room visit, and when you can safely go to an urgent care or express care center.
Advertisement
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
Hospital emergency departments treat all emergency situations, but are especially prepared to treat the most serious injuries and medical situations, including the following:
Some hospital emergency rooms are also equipped to provide trauma care for people with extremely serious injuries, such as those who have a gunshot wound or who have been in a car accident.
The urgent care center is designed to handle less serious illnesses and medical situations. These are conditions that are not life-threatening but should be treated within 24 hours. These include:
Advertisement
Express care centers provide care for relatively minor conditions, such as:
Urgent care and express care centers are walk-in facilities, which means that you don’t need to make an appointment. They are less costly than a hospital emergency room visit, and you can usually be seen more quickly than you would be in an emergency room.
Last reviewed on 04/29/2021.
Learn more about the Health Library and our editorial process.