Urgent care centers: an alternative to the Emergency Room

Horizon BCBSNJ has a broad network of participating Urgent Care Centers to provide you with access to quality, cost-effective medical care.

Urgent Care Centers provide an alternative to the Emergency Room (ER) when you are faced with an injury or illness that requires immediate care, but is not life threatening. Treatment often costs considerably less than care would in an ER, and an average visit usually lasts less than one hour.

Urgent Care Centers can treat wounds, sprains and other conditions that require attention within 24 hours but do not pose a danger to a person’s life or long-term health. All Urgent Care Centers participating with Horizon BCBSNJ can perform essential medical services, diagnose illness and treat emergent conditions.

Routine office visits, annual physicals, sports physicals, routine obstetric services, occupational medicine and physical therapy are not covered at Urgent Care Centers.

To receive full in-network benefits, members must go to a participating Horizon BCBSNJ Urgent Care Center that is listed in the Doctor & Hospital Finder. Generally, members do not need a referral. Please refer to your benefit booklet or certificate for specific benefit information, including applicable out-of-pocket costs such as coinsurance, copayments and/or deductibles.

Find participating Urgent Care Centers near you
It is important to go to an Urgent Care Center participating with Horizon BCBSNJ to keep your out-of-pocket costs low. Find out now where the closest participating Urgent Care Center is located; don’t wait until you become sick or injured.

To find the closest participating Urgent Care Center go to our Doctor & Hospital Finder and:

• Select Other Healthcare Services under What are you looking for?
• Select your plan
• Enter ZIP code
• Select Urgent Care Center in the Service Type field
• Click Search

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this article.

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the emergency department, or call 911 immediately.