Medically reviewed by the clinical team at Immediate Care Center of Westmont · Published July 23, 2026 · Last reviewed July 23, 2026
When you or someone in your family gets sick or hurt, one of the first decisions you make also happens to be one of the most expensive: do you go to the emergency room, or to urgent care? At Immediate Care Center of Westmont, a walk-in urgent care serving Westmont and neighboring DuPage County towns like Downers Grove, Hinsdale, Oak Brook, Darien, and La Grange, we want patients to make that choice with clear information — because for non-emergencies, the cost difference between the two settings is dramatic. This guide breaks down why the ER costs so much more, when each setting is appropriate, and how to protect both your health and your wallet.
For a non-emergency problem, urgent care is typically far less expensive than a hospital emergency department — often by many times over. National estimates commonly cited by health-cost resources place a routine urgent care visit in the low hundreds of dollars, while an emergency room visit for a comparable minor complaint frequently runs well over a thousand dollars, and often much more. These are national averages that vary widely by region, facility, insurance status, and the exact care provided; they are not a quote for our clinic. For our actual self-pay pricing, please visit our cost and insurance page or call (630) 324-6825.
The reason for the gap is structural, not arbitrary. The two settings are built to do very different jobs.
A hospital emergency department is staffed and equipped 24 hours a day to handle the most serious, life-threatening events — heart attacks, strokes, major trauma, and more. That means on-call specialists, advanced imaging like CT scanners, surgical backup, and a constant state of readiness. Every patient’s bill helps carry the cost of that infrastructure, which is why even a minor problem treated in the ER can generate a large charge, including a “facility fee” simply for using the department.
The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reports that U.S. emergency departments see well over one hundred million visits per year, and a substantial share are for conditions that are not true emergencies (see CDC FastStats: Emergency Department Visits). Many of those visits could be handled safely and far more affordably in an urgent care setting. Cleveland Clinic likewise explains that urgent care is designed for non-life-threatening issues that still need prompt attention, and that it generally costs less than the emergency room (see Cleveland Clinic: Emergency Department, Urgent Care or Express Care).
Being cost-conscious is smart, but it must never come at the expense of safety. Urgent care is the right choice for problems that need attention soon but are not dangerous. It is not equipped for life-threatening emergencies, and choosing it over the ER in a true emergency can be a serious mistake.
Do not drive to urgent care — call 911 or go straight to the emergency room — if you or someone else has:
When in doubt about a possible emergency, err on the side of caution. As MedlinePlus advises, the emergency room is the place for serious, life-threatening symptoms, and 911 should be called when a situation is critical (see MedlinePlus: When to use the emergency room).
For the large category of problems that are uncomfortable or worrying but not dangerous, urgent care delivers the same quality of evaluation as many ER visits at a fraction of the cost — and usually with a shorter wait. Common issues we treat at our Westmont clinic include:
Because our clinic has an on-site lab and digital X-ray, we can often diagnose and treat these problems in a single visit — which also means one predictable bill instead of the layered facility, physician, and testing charges that stack up in a hospital.
A simple way to choose: ask whether the problem is life- or limb-threatening. If yes, that is an emergency — call 911 or go to the ER. If it is something that needs care soon but is not dangerous — a fever, an infection, a minor injury, a bad sore throat — urgent care is almost always the faster, more affordable option. If you are ever unsure and it is not clearly an emergency, you can call us at (630) 324-6825 and we can help you decide whether to come in.
Several features of the ER drive its higher price for non-emergencies:
None of this makes the ER “bad” — it makes it the right, and only, choice for real emergencies. It simply means that using it for a sore throat or a sprained ankle costs far more than it needs to.
For comparable non-emergency complaints, urgent care commonly costs a small fraction of an ER visit — the difference can be several hundred to well over a thousand dollars. Exact amounts vary by facility, insurance, and services provided. For our self-pay pricing, see our cost and insurance page or call (630) 324-6825.
Yes. If a provider determines your condition needs emergency-level care or resources we do not offer, we will make sure you get to the appropriate setting quickly and safely. Urgent care and the ER work together as part of the care system.
No. For the everyday illnesses and injuries urgent care is designed to treat, you are seen by licensed providers using on-site labs and imaging. The ER’s advantage is not general quality — it is the specialized resources and staffing reserved for true emergencies.
If there is any sign of a life-threatening problem, treat it as an emergency and call 911. For less clear situations that are not obviously dangerous, you can call our clinic for guidance, but never delay emergency care to save money.
For non-emergency illnesses and injuries, walk-in urgent care is the smart, affordable choice — and we are right here in Westmont. Immediate Care Center of Westmont operates two locations serving DuPage County and is open Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM, and Saturday and Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM. Walk in, check in online to reduce your wait, or call (630) 324-6825. And remember: for any true emergency, call 911 first.
This page is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.
Monday – Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
