A trip to the emergency room can be a nerve-wracking experience. However, with the emergence of urgent care locations, not every medical situation requires a hospital visit.

At Lakeland Regional Health’s Pablo Campus Urgent Care location – which opened in October 2020 – patients can receive treatment for everything from sprains to blood work.

We talked with Dr. Francisco Chebly, Associate Chief Medical Officer at Lakeland Regional Health, and Sarah Bhagat, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Lakeland Regional Health’s Physician Group, to discuss when patients should consider a trip to an urgent care vs. when they need to go directly to the emergency room.

Dr. Francisco Chebly, Associate Chief Medical Officer at Lakeland Regional Health | Photo provided

Sarah Bhagat, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Lakeland Regional Health’s Physician Group | Photo provided

Experience:

#TryThis: Knowing when to visit Urgent Care vs. the ER

What we tried:

We went through 6 common medical situations and broke down the level of medical attention each requires. Here’s what we learned:

Situation 1: Ear infections/aches

If you’re not able to get in touch with your primary care provider or pediatrician, a trip to urgent care can diagnose and treat your child’s ear infection.

Situation 2: Broken bone

If your child is playing and falls, you might rush to the emergency room. However, Dr. Chebly explains that each situation is different when treating a broken bone. If the person can bear weight on the injured limb or is slightly limping, it’s safe to assume it’s not a severe injury and you can take them to urgent care. If you can see a deformity or the pain is too unbearable, the patient needs to be taken to the hospital.

The Pablo Campus Urgent Care location has advanced imaging services that include:

MRI
Ultrasound
CT scan
X-ray

Pro-tip: Sometimes patients who visit the emergency room aren’t able to immediately see an orthopedic specialist until the following day. Same-day appointments are usually available at Lakeland Regional Health’s Orthopedic Practice so patients can quickly get casted and back home resting in their own bed.

Situation 3: Stomach pain

Abdominal pain is tricky to diagnose. Ulcers, indigestion, and kidney stones all present with some sort of abdominal pain. Dr. Chebly explains if you’re experiencing pain that wakes you up in the middle of the night or brings you to your knees, it’s time to go to the emergency room. Pro-tip: If a patient has a heart condition or heart disease, abdominal pain could be heart related and the experts suggest going directly to the emergency room.

If you still have an appetite, no fever, and mild pain, a trip to urgent care is warranted. Urgent care providers can complete testing and if it turns out to be more severe, they’ll transfer you to the hospital.

Situation 4: Chest pain

Don’t play games. Go straight to the emergency room whenever any chest pain presents, Dr. Chebly explains. Urgent care locations don’t have the capabilities to treat chest pain that requires a detailed workup at the hospital.

Situation 5: Allergic reactions

Breathing changes are the most important thing to monitor if you think you’re suffering from an allergic reaction. If your child tries a new food and presents with a rash, but their breathing remains the same, taking them to urgent care will allow specialists to administer steroids and assess the severity of the reaction. If a patient's breathing changes rapidly, there is no time to mess around. Call 911.

Situation 6: Headache

Migraine sufferers know the pain of a migraine and what is and isn’t normal when it comes to head pain. However, if you’ve never had a migraine and present with a persistent headache, it doesn’t hurt to visit urgent care. Imaging and further testing can rule out bleeding or confirm a serious issue where a patient would need to be transferred to the hospital.

Pro-tip: If someone presents with stroke symptoms (slurred speech, numbness on one side of the face or body), go straight to the ER. Dr. Chebly explains time equals brain. The quicker a patient receives treatment, the better the outcome and recovery will be.

What not to miss:

Because Lakeland Regional Health’s urgent care locations are connected to the rest of their healthcare system, a visit to one can allow patients to get connected with other medical professionals + specialists. Bhagat explains that patients with common health issues like adjustments to blood pressure medicine or simply don’t have a primary care provider can receive treatment at urgent care. The patients will then be connected with other doctors in the system to help set up consistent care.

What we’re still talking about:

To help patients receive the best care when they need it, Lakeland Regional Health bills patient visits to its urgent care as a primary care visit. Depending on a patient’s insurance, this means patients might avoid certain charges (read bigger bills) that are sometimes associated with urgent care and emergency room visits.

How you can experience this:

COVID-19 testing is currently offered across all of Lakeland Regional Health’s urgent care locations. The rapid test allows patients to receive results in 15 minutes. This testing is recommended for patients presenting with symptoms or know they’ve come in contact with someone who has COVID-19.

Things to know if you go:

Experience: Knowing when to visit Urgent Care vs. the ER
Website: https://www.mylrh.org/
Address: Pablo Campus Urgent Care, 130 Pablo St., Lakeland
Hours: Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Lab open 6 a.m.-5 p.m.
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