Primary Care Vs. Urgent Care: Where Should You Go?

If you are sick or injured, you know you should see a doctor, but what kind? You may have a primary care physician, but urgent care is also an option. All potentially life-threatening illnesses and injuries require an immediate visit to the emergency room.  For other situations, what is the difference between primary and urgent care, and when should you prioritize one over the other? Here is everything you need to know about primary versus urgent care.

Primary Care Near Me: Long-term Solutions

Your primary care physician is someone you should build a relationship with overtime. See this doctor for regular annual exams. Continuing to receive medical care from the same place gives your primary care doctor a full picture of your health. This relationship helps you get better diagnoses, especially for chronic conditions. Primary care is mainly focused on long-term solutions that help you maintain good health and prevent disease.

Along with annual checkups, your primary care physician can help with any minor illness or injury that happens between appointments. Most primary care providers are only open on weekdays and require a scheduled appointment. If you need medical care right away, this is not the place you should be looking.

Urgent Care Near Me: Fast Fixes

If you hurt yourself in the evening, on the weekend, or during a holiday break, urgent care is your best option for getting the help you need. Urgent care centers have longer hours than primary care and are open on more days. 

If you have an injury or illness that isn’t life-threatening but still needs prompt medical attention, urgent care is the place to go. Good reasons to visit urgent care include ear and sinus infections, minor burns, rashes, and mild allergic reactions. Any potentially life-threatening injuries or sickness warrants a visit to the emergency room, but other medical needs can be delegated to urgent care.

One of the main benefits of urgent care is speed. While you can go to your primary care physician for things like UTIs and insect bites, urgent care will get you in and out much faster. You also don’t need an appointment to visit an urgent care center, just walk in whenever you need to.

Urgent care offices do offer sports physicals and other routine exams, but it is better to go to your primary care physician for these types of checkups. Since they know you, they have a better overall picture of your health. Diagnoses that require knowledge of your medical history will be more precise coming from a primary care physician.

Primary or Urgent care? BASS Medical Has Both

Whether you are looking for a new primary care physician or need urgent care, BASS Medical Group has you covered. Their priority is to take care of your family’s health.

Looking for urgent care near me? BASS Medical has walk-in appointments available every day at their HQ in Walnut Creek. Some of its services include COVID testing and telemedicine services. You can even see live wait times for the urgent care center on their mobile app.

Need primary care near me? BASS Medical Group is there to provide healthcare for the whole family. With nearly two dozen locations and more than 42 surgical specialists, they are sure to have the best, most convenient place for your unique needs.

To learn more about BASS Medical Group or schedule an appointment, visit them online or call (925)350-4044.