ER vs Immediate Care: Where Should You Go?

By Robert Riggs, MD, Emergency Medicine and Khalilah Babino, DO, Immediate Care Medicine

A question that gets often asked is should you go to the emergency room or an immediate care location for an illness or injury?

When you are feeling ill or have been injured, it’s not always easy to know which type of location you should visit to get you or a loved one the care needed for your situation.

The simplest answer to this frequently asked question question is:

• For serious injuries and illnesses or anything that may be life-threatening, head to the emergency room.
• For minor symptoms and illnesses, visit an immediate care location.

If you are considering calling 911 for your condition, do so right away or head to your nearest emergency department.

Some serious conditions and illness that should be treated in the emergency room include:

If your instinct is telling you it's serious, trust it and go to the nearest emergency department.

However, if your condition is something you would normally address with your regular doctor (but they are unavailable right away), an immediate care center may be the right choice for you.

At an immediate care center, you can see a care provider without an appointment, and some blood tests and X-rays can be done onsite.

Examples of minor conditions and illnesses that are treatable in an immediate care location include:

Our board-certified physicians and outstanding healthcare teams are here for you at all of our care centers when you need us most.

Loyola Medicine's immediate care locations have extended hours for your convenience and no appointment is needed. With two immediate care locations in Burr Ridge and River Forest, you can find the location nearest you.

Loyola Medicine has three emergency departments which are open 24/7 and are home to our experts in emergency medicine. You can find them at our three hospitals:

• Loyola University Medical Center
• Gottlieb Memorial Hospital
• MacNeal Hospital

Loyola University Medical Center's emergency department is also a Level 1 Trauma Center, which features some of the most highly skilled trauma experts in Illinois.

Robert Riggs, MD, is an emergency medicine physician at Loyola Medicine.

Dr. Riggs earned his medical degree at Rush Medical College of Rush University and completed a residency at the University of Chicago Medicine in emergency medicine.

Khalilah Babino, DO, is an immediate care medicine physician at Loyola Medicine.

Dr. Babino earned her medical degree from the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific at Western University of Health Science. She completed her residency at California Hospital Medical Center at the University of Southern California in family medicine.

Book an appointment today to see a Loyola Medicine expert primary care or specialty physician by self-scheduling an in-person or virtual appointment using myLoyola.