KeriKadi

I have to take Cory in I have been on hold with the peds office for over 20 minutes now. I was going to ask them the best thing to do.
Cory can't walk at all now I will have to take him somewhere I can bring a wheelchair out of. I really don't want to spend my whole day in the ER (especially on a Friday) but I don't think he can make it into the peds office without a wheelchair and I'm not sure they have one.

How do Urgent Care places work? Do we just walk in? How about insurance? Is it an office or ER co-pay?

Any insight would be appreciated.

dbn13

We go to our local urgent care place here all the time - it is super convenient. I think it's more like a co-pay situation than an ER visit. They accept our insurance, but we also have a PPO so we can see any doctor without prior approval (on the flipside, we'd need pre-approval before heading to an ER if it's non-life threatening). Can you call the urgent care place really quick? Also, check for a wait - we've had one occasionally.

mhurst

I would check the website for your insurance company and look for auxilary centers to find a list of urgent care centers that are covered.

My copay there is cheaper that ER but more than Dr. office.

Good luck and hugs for Cory.

Finn

Keri,
I'm not any help since we always head to the pediatric ER at our local hospital - I just like that it is specialized for the kids and they have access to anything that we may need.
I don't know if Urgent Care Centers will have X-Ray abilities, etc... Maybe you should call first or hopefully someone here will know.

I'll be thinking of Cory. Update when you can. Poor kiddo...

AmandaL

I have gone to urgent care on the weekends and for our insurance it is treated like a regular doctor's visit. Ours is by walk in , first come first seen, unless there is a medical emergency.

Bensmom

I've only been once, but it was great! It was the evening Ben fell and needed stitches--I was dreading an evening in the ER but we popped in quick to check if they could help and they were GREAT! We were literrally in and out in half an hour. For us, the copay was just a regular office visit- but I imagine that's variable. I would definitely check there first, I think they are a smarter bet when it's not life threatENing or something that would require hospitalization. good luck

KiwiMama

I really like the urgent care center here. It's treated just like an office visit as far as insurance goes, but it too is first come first served. I've never waited more than 20 min. though to see a Dr. (Granted I live in a much smaller city)

Hope it's nothing too serious.

baseballmama

OMG! What happened? Our urgent care center here has x-rays and wheelchairs all that. They take our insurance and the co-pay is more than a regular doctor, but less than ER I *think*.

Vanesa

Call them. The Urgent Care I went accept most of the health insurance but it doesn't have xrays. Probably a bigger place will have.

lizzydo

I think urgent care centers are fine for routine stuff...often they are staffed by physicians that can't get a job elsewhere...I'm just a bit wary of their credentials. For most things (quick strep test, etc), you'll be fine, but if you have a complicated issue, I'd go to the pediatrician's (they must have access to a wheelchair) or the ER.