Curious Mind: Urgent care visits are usually less expensive than visits to the ER, and generally be treated much faster

A: “Both Medicare and Medicaid patients can be seen at our Urgent Care, no referrals needed,” said Sean Christensen, Regional Manager of Urgent Care of Idaho. “They can walk in any time and be seen, no appointment needed. The average wait time is about 15 minutes.”

“We treat minor injuries and illnesses. If they are having chest pains or anything cardiac related they should go straight to the emergency department. We do a lot of laceration repairs, but if the cut is deep enough that it may have cut tendons or ligaments, then we would refer them to the emergency department. If they are having appendicitis, we would refer them to the emergency room,” said Christensen.

He said “We have onsite x-ray, so we do a lot of x-rays at our clinics each day. We do a lot of laceration repairs (stitches, staples, etc.). We see a lot of patients for illnesses (influenza, strep throat, coughs, colds, sinus infections, COVID, etc.)”

“Our Quick Care, in Jerome, operates 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and has a wait time of 5 minutes,” said Shellie Amundson, Community Relations Director with North Canyon Medical Center. North Canyon Quick Care is located north of Twin Falls at the junction of U.S. Hwy. 93 and Interstate 84 in the Crossroads Point Business Center.

Medicare provides coverage for urgent care visits, however your costs will depend on your plan type, and you may need to visit a provider that participates in Medicare.

“All patients, including those on Medicare/Medicaid are encouraged to use Quick Care when appropriate to do so because it’s very high-quality care and often lower cost,” said David Pepper, Director of Operations for Primary Care Services at St. Luke’s Magic Valley. “Many people don’t realize that Quick Care does a lot of suturing and fall/fracture care and is very good at this.”

St. Luke’s Quick Care provides urgent care in Twin Falls and for the surrounding region. Our urgent care services help you receive fast, experienced care without an appointment. Some people use urgent care when they can’t get in to see their regular doctor, or if they don’t have a doctor.

St. Luke’s Quick Care in Twin Falls is located at 775 Pole Line Road W., Suite 103, and is open every day from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The average wait time is difficult to determine as volumes vary.

Some of our Quick Care services include care for minor illnesses such as ear infections, sore throats, fevers, coughs, respiratory illness, vomiting, diarrhea and urinary infection; minor injuries such as fractures, sprains and lacerations; minor work injuries and follow-up for suture removals or wound checks.

St. Luke’s also offers on-demand virtual care services seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., if appropriate depending on your symptoms. If you’re an existing St. Luke’s patient, simply log in to your MyChart account, answer a few questions about your symptoms, and begin a virtual visit with the next available St. Luke’s primary care provider. You may still have to wait a bit, as you would at an in-person urgent care clinic, but you’ll be waiting wherever you choose.

Quick Care and on-demand virtual care are not appropriate for people who may be having a medical emergency or life-threatening condition. Call 911 or go directly to the nearest emergency department if the patient is experiencing chest pain, stroke symptoms, head injury, dilated pupil or trouble staying awake, loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, seizures, severe allergic reactions, vaginal bleeding during pregnancy, bleeding that won’t stop, severe abdominal pain or major burns.

Have a question? Just ask and we’ll find an answer for you. Email your question to Kimberly Williams Brackett at timesnewscuriousmind@gmail.com with “Curious Mind” in the subject line.