Know When & Where to Go for Care
Saint Alphonsus Medical Group recognizes the struggles people have when deciding where to go for care. While some people mistakenly wait days or weeks to see their primary care physician for urgent conditions, others seek emergency department care for conditions that aren't necessarily emergencies. Each medical option serves a specific purpose. With different medical specialists, diagnostic capabilities, pricing, and insurance models, it’s up to you to determine what’s best when you need medical care.
Primary Care
From preventative and routine screenings to the management of chronic conditions, primary care physicians provide patients a variety of ongoing services. They act as a comprehensive repository for a patient's medical records and can coordinate care with medical specialists.
Services include:
- Adult medicine
- Pediatric care
- Preventative medicine
- Immunizations
- Chronic disease management
- Sports Medicine
- Weight management, exercise, and nutrition plans
People who are committed to their health see great benefits in establishing a regular relationship with a primary care physician. “Some people think that seeing a physician on a regular basis actually increases health care costs because you access health resources more often. That is not necessarily true,” says Michael Roach, MD, a Medical Director of the Saint Alphonsus Medical Group. “Seeing a physician for appropriate preventive screenings provides you the opportunity to detect disease at an earlier, more treatable stage, saving you thousands of dollars in health care costs in the long run.”
Saint Alphonsus Medical Group makes it easy to provide care for your family. To find a primary care provider near you, visit http://www.saintalphonsus.org/find-a-physician/ or simply call 208-367-DOCS (208-367-3627).
Urgent Care
Urgent care is an efficient, rapid, convenient option for people to seek treatment for minor to moderate conditions, particularly when care is needed quickly and the symptoms don't appear to be life-threatening.
Go to Urgent Care for:
- Minor burns
- Sprains & strains
- Coughs, colds & sore throats
- Fever or flu-like symptoms
- Ear infections
- Rashes & minor skin irritations
- Mild asthma
- Animal & insect bites
- Minor cuts that need stitches
In addition to convenience, urgent care is also a lower cost option than the emergency department, and can also be used as a same-day supplement for primary care thanks to extended hours and additional locations.
Saint Alphonsus Medical Group currently has 11 urgent care locations serving communities in Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Kuna, Nampa, Caldwell, and Fruitland. Our urgent care providers are trained to recognize and stabilize life-threatening conditions, and in the rare instance that one occurs at one of our clinics, we can rapidly transfer care to our emergency department.
For more information on urgent care services and locations, or to let us know you're coming, visit www.saintalphonsus.org/specialty/urgent-care.
Emergency Department
Emergency departments are equipped with high tech tools that allow for the treatment and diagnosis of complex and life-threatening medical conditions such as strokes, heart conditions, critical infections, and major traumatic injuries.
Go to the Emergency Department for:
- Chest pain or heaviness
- Severe difficulty breathing
- Severe bleeding that doesn't stop after 10 minutes
- Head trauma
- Loss of consciousness
- Sudden loss of vision or blurred vision
- Facial drooping or weakness in an arm or leg
- Persistent vomiting or diarrhea
- Any sudden or severe pain
- Suicidal or homicidal thoughts
- Broken bones
Emergency departments treat the most serious cases with the highest priority, and because of the costly equipment and manpower used to treat these conditions, the care can be quite expensive – often three to four times the cost of an urgent care visit. That is why it's important to understand which conditions are serious and require emergency care. If you experience an emergency, call 9-1-1.
Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise is nationally verified by the American College Surgeons as a Level II Trauma Center. Saint Alphonsus Medical Centers in Ontario and Baker City are Level IV Trauma Centers. For more information on emergency services and locations, visit www.saintalphonsus.org/trauma-emergency.