Monthly Archives: December 2022

A sprained ankle or broken arm will generate a lot of pain. But, unfortunately, a trip to the nearest ER might not immediately alleviate that pain. That is because of the wait time.

On average, you could wait in an ER for up to two hours before seeing a doctor. Then there will be a wait for the X-ray and the X-ray diagnosis. Finally, it could be several hours before you get prescribed treatment. That is a long time to wait with that throbbing pain. Thankfully, there is an alternative.

OSSM Urgent Care in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, provides exceptional care for non-life-threatening injuries and ailments. If you have never gone to urgent care, then you will appreciate the following reasons why you should choose urgent care in CDA:

Time Saver

You will save time when you seek out treatment at OSSM Urgent Care. There will not be a phalanx of doctors to navigate to seek treatment. We provide immediate treatment for any orthopedic injury.

Money Saver

You probably know someone who has an ER horror story about their bills. Even for the smallest of fractures, one ER visit can be expensive. However, the costs at OSSM Urgent Care are significantly lower.

Health Boost

There is no escaping the simple fact that sick people will fill any ER. Many of those patients could be coughing, sneezing, and experiencing fever. All of that can be contagious. You want to avoid compounding your orthopedic injury by getting sick with the flu.

Immediate Specialist Care

An ER physician needs to care for various injuries and conditions. Once an ER doctor makes an assessment, they will call in a specialist. That specialist could be somewhere in the hospital or in surgery. So you will have to wait.

At OSSM Urgent Care in CDA, we are the specialists. That means you get immediate answers about your condition and a treatment plan.

On-Site X-Rays

OSSAM Urgent Care has on-site X-ray and diagnostic equipment. Yes, a hospital will have the same equipment, but when you go through the ER, you must wait your turn to get those X-rays. It might also be on another floor. That means waiting for an orderly to take you to the radiology department. Remember, you’re still in pain and haven’t been treated yet for your injury!

Fast Surgery Scheduling

Some orthopedic injuries will require surgery, which can be scheduled right in our urgent care facility. So you don’t have to wait until the next day to contact a specialist. We will already be there.

Personalized Care Team

Once our doctors assess your injury, they will develop a treatment and recovery plan. That assigns you to a care team who will track your progress through the recovery. Your care team will answer questions and take care of follow-up visits.

The goal at OSSM Urgent Care is to provide fast, cost-effective, and exceptional care for the following types of orthopedic injuries:

• Dislocations
• Sports or work injuries
• Inflamed joints
• Breaks, sprains, or fractures
• Back, neck, and feet pain

If those are injuries you incur, a visit to OSSM Urgent Care in CDA is the clear choice for quality medical care.

Everyone has an illness or injury at some point in their life that requires immediate medical attention. When that happens, many have a question: Go to Urgent Care or the ER?

Whether you should visit the ER or Urgent Care in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, depends on your answers to a few questions.

Can Urgent Care Handle Your Situation?

The question of whether Urgent Care can address your issue is the foundation for choosing one over the other. While there are complexities to that question, such as having to know or find out the capabilities of each, generally, the answer is easy to ascertain. 

If, for example, you need an x-ray for a possible broken bone, and your local Urgent Care facility advertises they do x-rays, then going to Urgent Care is the smarter option.

If you need something more sophisticated, like an MRI or CAT scan, the ER is probably the better choice.

Was 911 called?

Whether you have to engage in emergency services is also a good measure for choosing between Urgent Care and the ER. If you had to call 911 for medical attention, the ER is your best choice.

How Serious Is the Illness or Injury?

Potentially serious injuries or illnesses that require immediate attention are candidates for the ER. Injuries or illnesses considered serious include, but are not limited to:

• Chest pains
• Acute illness (such as having to be hospitalized for COVID)
• Trauma or deep cuts requiring stitches
• Seizures
• Severe pain caused by illness, injury, or pain that has an unknown source
• Shortness of breath
• Head injuries
• Compound fractures (the bone(s) are sticking out through the skin)

Urgent Care is better suited to address the following:

• Sprains
• Minor broken bones (fingers, toes, etc.)
• Suspected broken bones requiring x-rays
• Back or muscle pain
• Minor cuts or burns
• Earache
• Tooth infection
• UTIs
• Nausea and vomiting

That is not a complete list of all Urgent Care can treat, but it does provide a general summary of the type of illnesses and injuries appropriate for that type of care.

Is Urgent Care Open?

Urgent Care facilities have set hours. The ER is always open. No matter your health issue, the ER is the right choice if your local Urgent Care is closed unless you are sure you can wait until Urgent Care reopens. Urgent Care is a better choice if the Urgent Care facility is open and your illness or injury is not life-threatening.

Will You Need a Pharmacy Afterwards?

If you think you will need medications after your visit to either the ER or Urgent Care and the pharmacy is closed until the next day, the ER is a better bet because most hospitals can provide at least basic medications. If your local pharmacy is open and the illness or injury meets the criteria for Urgent Care, you should start there.

Final Thoughts

Knowing whether to use Urgent Care in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, or to head over to the ER comes down to these five questions. Using each as a guideline, you will make the right choice for treatment virtually every time.