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" There are more than 10,000 medical clinics that have sprouted up around the nation. These offer the possibility of a shorter wait and a cheaper bill. The only hitch: Not all clinics are created equal. They range from nurse-staffed facilities to freestanding ERs. Hobble into the first type, and you may be out a co-pay before being sent elsewhere to get an X-ray; the second type could be as costly as a hospital ER, even if your problem is relatively minor. Here&amp;#039;s how to make the right choice for your health and your wallet. First: Call your doctor. If you&amp;#039;re not facing a life-threatening emergency, give your own doctor a call: You may be surprised at the hours your primary care physician keeps. In a survey of family physicians, 72% of them offered same-day appointments for urgent matters, and 45% had extended hours outside the standard 9 to 5. &amp;quot;We don&amp;#039;t want you up all night because you have a bladder infection or a child who&amp;#039;s crying with an earache,&amp;quot; says Robert Wergin, M.D., president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians. If you can&amp;#039;t reach your doctor and you&amp;#039;re worried the situation might be dire, you have three choices beyond the hospital ER: 1. For life-threatening problems... Freestanding emergency centers are open 24/7, so they are a boon in a true crisis when there&amp;#039;s no nearby hospital or you want to avoid a long wait. The ER physicians on staff can deal with serious fractures and life-threatening problems such as uncontrolled bleeding, heart attacks, strokes, and poisonings. They&amp;#039;ll even help deliver a child. (And if they can&amp;#039;t handle your issue, they can transfer you to a hospital.) While co-pays have been changing, they&amp;#039;ve been about $75 to $100, although your total bill may be much higher; you wouldn&amp;#039;t want to go to one of these centers for conditions that could be treated elsewhere. They usually accept insurance, but check to make sure the one you&amp;#039;re headed for takes your particular plan. One caveat: While almost all freestanding ERs \u2014 like hospital ERs \u2014 will treat everyone regardless of coverage, some may turn away the uninsured. RELATED: 7 Pains You Should Never Ignore \u00BB 2. For serious injuries... Urgent care clinics are usually staffed by a combination of M.D.&amp;#039;s, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, and they can handle serious \u2014 but not life-threatening \u2014 problems like sprains, strains, and minor fractures (most have imaging equipment). The staff on hand can also manage mild allergic or asthmatic reactions, infections and animal bites; stitch up cuts; and prescribe any medication you might need. These clinics are open at least 10 to 12 hours a day, six to seven days a week; co-pays have been around $35 to $75 (though again, you&amp;#039;ll want to verify that the clinic accepts your insurance). 3. For minor concerns... Retail clinics can often be found in pharmacies and big-box stores such as Walmart, and they&amp;#039;re usually staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants who are overseen by an off-site M.D. The clinics offer wellness care such as vaccinations, physicals, and blood tests, but they can also come in handy when you can&amp;#039;t get in to see a doctor for a worrisome rash, a questionable cut, a minor burn, an earache, or persistent cold or flu symptoms. You&amp;#039;ll find that the hours vary, but the clinics are typically open 10 to 12 hours a day. Co-pays have been in the $15 to $30 range \u2014 but be sure to confirm that your insurance is accepted. Go directly to an ER if you have: Any serious injury to life or limb \u2014 especially one that triggers a sense of dread or doom, say physicians. The body releases substances such as stress chemicals after you&amp;#039;ve suffered serious trauma, so don&amp;#039;t ignore that feeling. Problems that can trigger this sense include: \u2022 Heart attack \u2022 Stroke \u2022 A severe allergic reaction \u2022 A high fever with a stiff neck \u2022 Sudden, severe abdominal pain Is it an emergency? Sometimes you face a condition that&amp;#039;s neither minor (i.e., treatable at a retail clinic) nor an obvious emergency. The chart below can help you decide if you need urgent care or the ER:  Sources: David Weitzman, M.D., American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine / Todd Taylor, M.D., spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians NEXT: What to Have in Your Emergency Kit \u00BB "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/advice/a25217/when-to-go-to-urgent-care/>