Emergency Care vs. Express Care: A guide to children’s healthcare from the ER to telehealth at home
Even if your child’s injury or illness is not apparently urgent, you still want to get them care and relief as soon as possible. Naturally, the first instinct is to call your pediatrician, the doctor who knows you and your family best and is intimately familiar with your medical history and personal circumstances.
But what if your child is sick and it’s late at night? Or it’s the weekend and your pediatrician’s office is closed? What if the doctor’s schedule is packed and you can’t get in without an appointment?
For families in the Pittsburgh area, Dr. Pitetti says, there is UPMC Children’s Express Care, which offers the same services and treatment that you’d get at your pediatrician’s office, but after hours and on weekends without needing an appointment. Express Care can treat your child or young adult for things like:
Find adult and pediatric providers and schedule appointments online.
Care Close to Home
UPMC Hospital System
A parent’s most intense and constant concern is for the wellbeing of their child. But no matter what we do to protect our kids, bumps, bruises, fevers, coughs, and other illnesses and injuries are going to happen. It’s part of life.
The question facing any parent or guardian is not will our children get sick or hurt — it’s what do we do when it happens? Our impulses are usually either to rush to the emergency department or try to take care of it at home. But these days, there are several choices in between those extremes, from telehealth visits with a pediatrician to express care options, both virtual and in person.
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• Animal bites and insect stings
• Asthma attacks
• Colds, fever, flu, and other viral illnesses
• Concussions
• Constipation
• Ear, nose, and throat infections
• Items stuck in the ear or nose
• Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
• Pink eye
• Rashes and milder allergic reactions
• Simple fractures, twists, and sprains
• Tooth pain
• Urinary tract infections
In general, parents tend to have a pretty good feel for what their child needs and when to worry about something. But there is always that natural protective instinct to act when your kid is in pain, uncomfortable, or possibly in danger. Dr. Pitetti says that if you have doubt about what to do for your child, there’s nothing wrong with traveling to the emergency department.
“I would never discourage a parent from bringing their child to receive emergency care if they feel like it’s necessary,” he says. “If you’re worried, just come, and we’ll take care of you.”
Dr. Pitetti emphasizes that UPMC Children’s Emergency Department is a Level 1 Regional Resource Pediatric Trauma Center, the highest level attainable. That means there is practically nothing your child could have that Children’s isn’t equipped to diagnose or treat. And even if your child doesn’t need that level of care, at least you will have peace of mind.
All you need to do is open the app, log in, request a video chat, and let a doctor examine the child virtually to decide whether they want you to do urgent care, visit the emergency department, or take care of it at home.
Raymond Pitetti, MD
Director of the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
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For families who may not live near a hospital or clinic — or those who do live nearby but feel that their child might not need to go to the doctor — there is UPMC Children’s AnywhereCare. It’s part of a statewide telehealth initiative to ensure that every child has online access via desktop, laptop, or tablet/phone app to quality medical care and consultation.
“Any family throughout Pennsylvania that has a question for the doctor or a child with a minor complaint can use this app,” Dr. Pitetti explains.
AnywhereCare gives patients access to quality health care providers no matter where in Pennsylvania they are located and regardless of whether they have insurance. You can also get prescriptions for medications through the app, which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
When in doubt, emergency care is always there
UPMC AnywhereCare
Pediatrician or UPMC Children’s Express Care
Express Care video visits are also available for select symptoms, with pediatric providers virtually available until 9 p.m. each night of the week.
And to ensure the continuum of care, Dr. Pitetti says that UPMC Children’s Express Care will share the record of your visit with your pediatrician and refer you back to them for any follow-up care.
So which type of care is appropriate for which scenario? We talked to Raymond Pitetti, MD, director of the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, to help us go over our options.
Emergency Care
As a parent, it’s often hard not to panic or feel a sense of urgency whenever your child is ill or in pain. You don’t want to overreact, but there are definitely instances when the urge to rush to the Emergency Department is the correct one. And there are certain concerns you just don’t mess around with, including:
• A possible broken bone, especially when movement is impaired
• Any injury to the head, neck, or spine
• Coughing up blood
• Deep cuts that won’t stop bleeding
• Refusal to eat or drink
• Seizures lasting for more than three minutes
• Severe burns
• Trouble breathing or staying conscious
“Or if the child is just not acting right, not making sense when they talk, they should go right to the emergency department,” says Dr. Pitetti. “In general, those are problems that are probably not going to be as well-managed outside of the emergency department.”
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Medically reviewed by Raymond Pitetti, MD.