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Glossary
Urgent care clinics provide quick access to care for an illness, injury, or condition that’s serious, but not life-threatening.
The emergency room is for emergency (opens in new tab) health situations. Your primary care doctor (opens in new tab) is for non-urgent, routine health issues. A specialist (opens in new tab) is for issues that require specialized medical knowledge and treatment. But where do you go for issues that are urgent, but not an emergency?
That’s where urgent care comes in. Urgent care clinics provide quick access to care for an illness, injury, or condition that’s serious, but not life-threatening or endangering to yourself or others.
Common types of urgent care issues include:
Alternatively, if you have access to telemedicine (opens in new tab), you can skip the urgent care waiting room and get a prescription (opens in new tab) called in after talking to a doctor on the phone, which is a great option.