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Welcome to "Navigating Care Options".

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Having a primary care provider is important, but there may be times
where you are not able to see them.

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This is especially true if you have an urgent health concern, injury,
or illness that you cannot wait to see your primary care provider for.

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In these cases, you will want to know the differences between Primary
Care, Urgent Care, and Emergency Care and when to use each.

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Lets get started!

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The biggest difference between Primary, Urgent, and Emergency care is
the type of health concerns they are best suited to address.

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There are also other differences like the wait time you can expect,
and the cost of care.

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Let's start with Primary Care.

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Your primary care provider is best at helping you with your long term
health management.

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If you have chronic conditions, prescription medication that needs to

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be managed, or symptoms of a new health condition that are not
urgent, it may be best to visit your primary care provider.

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You will be able to schedule an appointment but may have to wait
several days or weeks for an available appointment.

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Primary care appointments are also usually the
lowest cost option for care.

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Many Primary Care providers also offer options called Telahealth or

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telamedicine appointments which are when you meet with a provider by
phone call, computer video call, or other tech devices.

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Not all providers offer telahealth appointments or only offer them
for certain health concerns.

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Ask your provider if they offer telahealth or telamedicine
appointments if you are interested.

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Both Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare generally cover telahealth
services and have the same costs as in-person services.

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The next level of care option is Urgent Care.

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Urgent Cares can assist with injuries and illnesses that are not life

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threatening but require medical attention within 24 to 48 hours, when
you may be unable to see your primary care provider.

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Consider visiting an urgent care for concerns such as sprains, minor

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cuts requiring stitches, rashes, and illnesses with symptoms of the
flu or respiratory infections.

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Unlike your primary care provider, most Urgent
Care's do not have appointments.

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In this case, you will have to walk-in to the urgent care and wait
until a provider is able to see you.

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Urgent Care's may also have slightly more expensive co-pays or fees
than a primary care appointment.

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The next level of care is emergency care.

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Emergency rooms, also called ER's, should only be visited when you

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have potentially life threatening concern that
needs immediate attention.

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Serious health concerns including the following would warrant a trip
to the emergency room:

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Chest pain.

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Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.

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Severe bleeding.

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Head or neck injuries, especially if you have lost consciousness.

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Severe burns or deep wounds.

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Severe allergic reactions.

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Severe abdominal pain.

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Fractured bones.

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Or sudden weakness, numbness, confusion, or loss of coordination.

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When you arrive at an emergency room, you will have to wait until a
provider is able to see you.

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Typically the ER doctors see patients in order of those with the most
serious health concerns first.

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If you go to the ER for something non-emergent,
your wait could be up to several hours.

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Lastly, your insurance card may show a different cost for emergency

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room visits, and they are usually more expensive than primary care or
urgent care visits.

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The next time you are trying to decide where to get care for a health

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concern, ask your self "what is the specific
concern?" and "how soon do I need care".

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Knowing when its best to visit your primary care provider or an

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urgent care can save you from expensive emergency room visits with
hour long wait times.

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Thank you for joining "Navigating Care Options".

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For more information on the topics covered in this lesson, visit the
video description for helpful links.

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If you would like to connect with a Portico Health Coach to get

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one-on-one assistance with understanding these topics, call (651)
489-2273 to schedule an appointment.