May 01, 2026
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Figuring out whether it's best to visit urgent care or head to the emergency department can be difficult. Generally, minor health issues are best for urgent care and major health issues necessitate a hospital visit.
A sports' injury, a spiking fever, chest pain or a stomach bug that just won't go away – it's hard to know these days whether to dash to the nearest emergency room or urgent care clinic.
But urgent care often is a good starting point for minor health issues, health providers say, especially when it's not possible to see a primary care provider that day. Urgent care clinics can conduct evaluations, offer treatment and refer patients to speciality services when necessary.
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There are more than 15,000 urgent care clinics in the United States, and they treat more than 2 million people each year, according to the Urgent Care Association, the trade group for urgent care clinics.
Despite this, many people use emergency departments for routine medical care. A 2024 study found that 24% of people who used emergency departments used them for non-urgent issues.
Reasons for these visits include a lack of access to primary care and the perceived severity of the illness or injury. Unnecessary emergency room visits add to patient wait times and increase overall health costs, according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance, a nonprofit that evaluates and accredits health care programs.
Urgent care clinics are helping alleviate stress on emergency departments and filling in missing gaps in care for some people, Dr. Franz Ritucci, president of the American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine, told WHYY last fall.
"Urgent care centers have become the reliever airport for our broken system," Ritucci said.
But people should note that care offered at these clinics can be uneven, Daniel Sands, a primary care physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, told Harvard Health in February.
"The quality of urgent care centers varies widely," partly due to the fact that some are run by hospitals and others are private, Sands said.
"The care there could be hit or miss," he added.
People should call 911 or go to an emergency department if their illness or injury seems life threatening, medical experts say.
Harvard Health advises emergency department visits for:
• Chest pain or pressure
• Shortness of breath or trouble breathing
• Signs of stroke (face drooping, slurred speech, arm weakness)
• Severe abdominal pain
• Sudden, intense pain anywhere in the body
• Heavy, uncontrolled bleeding
• Head injury with confusion, vomiting or loss of consciousness
• Seizure or fainting
• Any symptom that feels severe or frightening, or is rapidly worsening
Visiting primary care doctors, or urgent care clinics outside regular office hours, is a wise choice for the following conditions:
• Fever, headache, cough, sore throat
• Ear and sinus pain
• Rashes
• Urinary tract infections
• Minor allergic reactions or asthma attacks
• Minor cuts, wounds or burns
• Minor orthopedic injuries
