{"id":2230,"date":"2014-09-23T13:00:39","date_gmt":"2014-09-23T17:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hnetalk.com\/Member\/?p=2230"},"modified":"2014-09-23T13:00:39","modified_gmt":"2014-09-23T17:00:39","slug":"choosing-the-correct-care-facility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hnetalk.com\/member\/choosing-the-correct-care-facility\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing the Correct Care Facility"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>You or someone you love is sick or injured. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>What should you do?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hnetalk.com\/Employer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Choosing-the-Correct-Care-Facility-1.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-674 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hnetalk.com\/Employer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Choosing-the-Correct-Care-Facility-1.jpg?resize=1014%2C191\" alt=\"Choosing the Correct Care Facility-1\" width=\"1014\" height=\"191\" \/><\/a>At times like this, it can be hard to think clearly. Use this guide so you can plan ahead and think about the three W\u2019s:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0<strong>W<\/strong><strong>H<\/strong><strong>E<\/strong><strong>N <\/strong>do I seek medical care?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0<strong>W<\/strong><strong>H<\/strong><strong>E<\/strong><strong>R<\/strong><strong>E <\/strong>should I seek medical care?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0<strong>W<\/strong><strong>H<\/strong><strong>A<\/strong><strong>T <\/strong>should I expect from the services I get?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>W<\/strong><strong>ha<\/strong><strong>t is a medical emergency?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A emergency is when a medical condition causes serious and severe symptoms. Not getting medical care right away might cause loss of life, lasting physical damage or serious injury to your body. If you feel your condition is a medical emergency you should seek immediate emergency care.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wh<\/strong><strong>a<\/strong><strong>t should I do in a medical emergency?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If possible, call your primary care provider first. Your primary care provider can help you decide if there is a medical emergency and what the best action is for you to take.<\/p>\n<p>If you are not able to call your primary care provider or you feel your health is threatened without immediate attention, call 911 for anambulance or go directly to an emergency room.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wh<\/strong><strong>a<\/strong><strong>t are my choices if I need medical care, but it is not an emergency?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Emergency rooms are for the treatment of serious and life- threatening conditions. Using an emergency room when you don\u2019t need one:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Costs more \u2013 your ER copayment is probably higher than your copayment for other services. ER costs are one of the leading factors contributing to high health care costs.<\/li>\n<li>Is inefficient \u2013 you and everyone else there will have to wait longer<\/li>\n<li>Takes limited resources away from people who actually need them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Emergency rooms also don\u2019t offer the preventive health care services a primary care provider or a Walk-In Health Care Center can offer. Preventive services support your general health.<\/p>\n<p>They can include health evaluations, immunizations (shots to prevent disease), education, and other services. This can help you stay healthy, manage chronic health conditions, and prevent medical emergencies.<\/p>\n<p>You may be faced with several choices. Do you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Call or see your primary care provider?<\/li>\n<li>Go to a Walk-In Health Care Center?<\/li>\n<li>Go to an Urgent Care Center?<\/li>\n<li>Call 911 or go directly to a hospital emergency room?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>Here are some guidelines for how to select the correct care facility:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hnetalk.com\/Employer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Choosing-the-Correct-Care-Facility-2.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-682\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hnetalk.com\/Employer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Choosing-the-Correct-Care-Facility-2.jpg?resize=1014%2C181\" alt=\"Choosing the Correct Care Facility-2\" width=\"1014\" height=\"181\" \/><\/a><strong>First, <\/strong>call your primary care provider. He or she may give you advice over the phone or schedule you for an appointment.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Check <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>to see if your primary care office offers extended care hours.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>S<\/strong><strong>eco<\/strong><strong>n<\/strong><strong>d<\/strong><strong>, <\/strong>HNE members can call HNE\u2019s Nurse Line at 800.842.4464. A health care\u00a0 professional is available 24 hours to offer advice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thi<\/strong><strong>r<\/strong><strong>d<\/strong><strong>, <\/strong>If you can\u2019t reach your primary care provider consider these options:<\/p>\n<p><strong>W<\/strong><strong>a<\/strong><strong>l<\/strong><strong>k<\/strong><strong>&#8211;<\/strong><strong>I<\/strong><strong>n Health <\/strong><strong>Care Centers <\/strong>are for treatment of common, non-life-threatening situations. They are staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants who provide treatment for common family illnesses and injuries,administer vaccinations, conduct physicals and wellness\u00a0 screenings, and offer monitoring for chronic conditions.<\/p>\n<p>Walk-In Health Care Center practitioners can:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Diagnose, treat and write prescriptions for common family illnesses such as strep throat,\u00a0 bladder infections, pink eye and infections of the ears, nose and throat<\/li>\n<li>Provide common vaccinations for flu, pneumonia, pertussis, and hepatitis, among others<\/li>\n<li>Treat minor wounds, abrasions, joint sprains and skin conditions such as poison ivy, ringworm and acne<\/li>\n<li>Provide a wide range of wellness services, including sports and camp physicals, smoking cessation and TB testing<\/li>\n<li>Offer routine lab tests, instant results and education for those with diabetes,high cholesterol,\u00a0 high blood pressure or asthma<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>U<\/strong><strong>r<\/strong><strong>ge<\/strong><strong>n<\/strong><strong>t <\/strong><strong>Care Centers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Have additional capabilities beyond the services you can get at a Walk- In Health Care\u00a0 Center. They are staffed by physicians, and can treat more serious conditions like broken bones. They have X-ray machines and can run other tests not available at a Walk-In Health Care Center.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.healthnewengland.com\/Provider_Lookup_Direct\/SearchDisplay.aspx?Q=URC\">A list of contracted urgent care facilities is available on <strong>hne.com.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Call <\/strong><strong>9<\/strong><strong>1<\/strong><strong>1 or go to the Emergency Room <\/strong>If you are not able to call your primary care provider or you feel your health is threatened without immediate attention, call 911 for anambulance or go directly to an emergency room.<\/p>\n<p>For a pdf printable version, click <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hnetalk.com\/Employer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Choosing-the-Correct-Care-Facility.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You or someone you love is sick or injured. What should you do? At times like this, it can be hard to think clearly. Use this guide so you can plan ahead and think about the three W\u2019s: \u00a0WHEN do I seek medical care? \u00a0WHERE should I seek medical care? \u00a0WHAT should I expect from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":2234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-summer2010"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hnetalk.com\/member\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Choosing-the-Correct-Care-Facility-thumbnail-e1411491900129.jpg?fit=300%2C175&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6ZZGa-zY","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hnetalk.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hnetalk.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hnetalk.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hnetalk.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hnetalk.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hnetalk.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hnetalk.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hnetalk.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hnetalk.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hnetalk.com\/member\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}