January 30, 2023
When it comes to running a business, part of your responsibility as an employer is to care for the health and wellness of a workforce – which means there are important things to consider. Keeping your employees healthy is vital a part of caring about their general wellbeing, but it’s also necessary to keep downtime to a minimum and to not disrupt the daily business operations.
Often, the first place so many of us turn to when we are sick or injured is the emergency room (ER). Although there are certainly things that call for this level of care, not every illness or injury requires an often costly and time-consuming trip to the ER.
Each year in the United States, over $4 billion is spent by patients who use the ER for non-emergency issues.1 In fact, up to 27 percent of ER visits could be handled by primary care providers or urgent cares like MedExpress.
In the heat of the moment, it can be hard to know when to advise your employees to choose the ER or if another option would be a better fit. We’ve put together some facts to better help you and your employees make more informed decisions about where to go for care when something goes wrong.
What is the Emergency Room Really For?
It’s right in the name, but it’s not always easy know when the ER is necessary. That lack of knowledge can be costly to you or your employees.
The ER is your best choice for serious, potentially life-threatening medical issues. Here is a partial list of reasons your employees should definitely choose the ER:
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing (respiratory distress)
- Trauma or serious head injury
- Stroke symptoms
- Uncontrollable bleeding
- Unconsciousness
- Fever above 104 degrees2
If someone is suffering one of these issues, it’s important to go to the ER immediately or call 911
Most of the time, if you’re not sure whether or not it’s an emergency, it’s best to err on the side of caution and go directly to the ER. Saving a life is always more important than saving money or time. But there are several situations where an urgent care can provide the same great care as the ER while saving both time and money.
When Urgent Care Can Help Your Employees
Our neighborhood medical centers can help you with non-emergency health issues in a convenient, high-quality and affordable way. In fact, a MedExpress visit costs 10% of the average ER visit.3 It can also save you time. The average ER visit can last over 4 hours, while most MedExpress visits are complete in under an hour.*
Beyond the cost and timesaving, our friendly medical team there is also available during convenient hours. We’re open 8 to 8 every day and there’s no need to make an appointment. They can just walk right in when it fits their schedule and be seen by our qualified medical providers.
What type of services can we treat at MedExpress?
- Illnesses: allergies, colds, flu, ear infections, pink eye, respiratory illnesses, etc.
- Injuries: cuts and scrapes, sprains and strains, insect bites and stings, mild or moderate burns, heat exhaustion, etc.
- Continued care coordination and referrals to specialists for patients who visit us for worker’s comp needs.
- Lab testing, X-rays and COVID-19 testing.
Our variety of care extends beyond traditional illness and injury as well. We also offer wellness and prevention services for the whole family such as camp and sports physicals, flu shots, immunizations and vaccinations. And of course, we are always here for any work-related services like DOT physicals, drug and alcohol screenings and workers’ compensation.
Here When You Need Us
Whenever an accident occurs or an illness happens, our team is here to help. We offer a wide range of urgent and preventative medical care to help your workforce with their healthcare needs. And with our workers' compensation and injury care services, your employees also get convenient access to high-quality care in an appropriate setting. Contact your local MedExpress location to learn more and let us help your company stay healthy!
are you an employer?
Learn how our employer health services can benefit your business.
Reference:
1 Journal of Healthcare Management. Reducing Preventable Emergency Department Utilization and Costs by Using Community Health Workers as Patient Navigators. Accessed November 21, 2022.
2 St. Luke’s Health. When a Fever Becomes an Emergency. Accessed November 23, 2022.
3 UHC. What are my care options and what do they cost?. Accessed April 14, 2023