Who do you call: PCP or urgent care?
Need medical care right away? You could call your primary care provider (PCP) or head to an urgent care center, but how do you know which is best?
It might depend on how quickly you want to see someone, said Michael Rest, MD, medical director of the Emergency Center at Falmouth Hospital and its associated Urgent Care centers in Falmouth and Sandwich.
“If you’ve had a rash for six months and that’s unchanged, it’s fine to call the PCP office,” Dr. Rest said. “But let’s say you have a bad outbreak of poison ivy rash that just popped up. That’s perfect for urgent care because it’s bothering you and it’s probably going to take some time to get into the primary care office.”
Urgent care is designed for issues that are just that – urgent – but not life-threatening. Cape Cod Healthcare operates four year-round urgent care centers in Falmouth, Sandwich, Hyannis, and Harwich, as well as a seasonal locations in Orleans and Osterville (spring to early fall). No appointment is required and all are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Wait times are tracked in live time on the Cape Cod Healthcare website.
The healthcare system also has two emergency centers, at Falmouth Hospital and Cape Cod Hospital for 911-level emergencies or urgent issues that require complicated treatment or imaging beyond X-ray. Sometimes it’s best to head directly to the ER, Dr. Rest said, for example if you’re experiencing chest or abdominal pain, suspect a stroke, or hit your head and lose consciousness.
PCP/Urgent Care Differences
Your PCP is more focused on long-term health issues, such as controlling your blood pressure or getting that diabetes under control, Dr. Rest said. Urgent care can be a “temporary bridge” for vacationers or others who don’t have a local PCP and perhaps need a prescription refill, but it’s really intended to handle short-term procedures such as stitching lacerations, taking out splinters, removing ticks, testing for COVID, treating strep or draining abscesses, he said.
Urgent care does have some capabilities that most PCP offices don’t, Dr. Rest said. This can make treatment more efficient. For example, urgent care centers can X-ray a sprained ankle; most PCPs will have to send you someplace for imaging.
“For minor orthopedic trauma, urgent care is perfect because we can see you immediately, and give you the treatment that you need, whether it’s a splint, cast or whatever,” Dr. Rest said.
Age-Related Guidance
Urgent care guidelines are a little different for patients at either end of the age spectrum, Dr. Rest said.
Pediatric offices leave appointments open for patients who need treatment for issues like sore throat, fever or a tick bite, but parents might be better off heading to urgent care for injuries such as deep cuts or suspected sprains, he said. He suggests calling the pediatrician's office first to see what they recommend.
And for older patients, there might be times when the emergency room is more appropriate than either the PCP office or urgent care. For example, if someone has fallen and hit their head or feels weak or dizzy.
“[Urgent care] can probably assess a healthy 40-year-old, whereas a 70-year-old who’s on multiple medications probably is going to need more testing than we can do at urgent care,” Dr. Rest said.
If you’re a patient of a Cape Cod Healthcare-affiliated provider, your PCP will be notified through the electronic medical records system that you have visited one of the CCHC Urgent Care centers, Dr. Rest said. That may trigger the PCP office or nurse to check in with a patient if any follow-up is recommended. However, if you don’t hear from your PCP, it’s good to be your own advocate and call to see if any follow-up is indicated, he said.
“They get an alert, they know that you’ve been there, they see the physician's note, the imaging, the lab test, whatever gets done,” Dr. Rest said. “It’s super well-integrated.”
