or a physician’s office.

Caring for these patients
outside of the emergency
room could save as much
as $4 billion a year.

More importantly,
knowing which level of
care is appropriate could
save you hours of time
and a significant amount
of money. For patients
in Northern Virginia,
the average emergency
room visit costs $1,124,
according to Virginia
Health Information, and
lasts over four hours.

In comparison, patients
pay $150 on average
for an urgent care visit
and typically wait just
15 minutes for prompt
medical attention.

can be treated in the
urgent care setting or
the next day by your
orthopaedic provider.

Most fractures, even in
children, don’t need to be
treated in the ER unless
there is a deformity in
the affected limb, or an
associated wound on
the skin. Splinting, ice
and elevation should be
performed to decrease
pain and swelling after
the injury and prior to
visiting a physician.

Over the counter pain
medicines, such as
Tylenol and NSAIDs, are
recommended. But when you suffer sharp
pains in your back, or your
child is injured on the
sports field, it can be hard
to judge which level of
care would be best. Here
are a few tips for deciding
where to go with an injury:
Head injuries should
always be treated as an
emergency, regardless of
how they are sustained,
due to the patient’s risk for
a concussion. Concussions
are very serious, but can
typically be examined and
ruled out by an athletic
trainer or physician if the
injury occurs during an
organized sport. If you do
experience a concussion,
or receive a head injury
without a trainer or
physician present, you
should seek emergency
care. Evaluate the energy level
High-energy injuries are
those that involve speed
or height, such as a car
accident or fall from a
ladder. This level of
trauma can be very serious
and warrants a trip to the
ER. Patients may have
head or internal injuries
in addition to the visible
orthopaedic injuries, and
so it’s best to be evaluated
in a facility with access to
CT scans, imaging devices
and trauma surgeons.

However, low-energy
injuries such as sprains,
strains and even fractures
Know which sports
injuries can wait
Most other sports injuries
can be treated in the
urgent care setting or by
an orthopaedic provider
the next day, even if you
can’t finish the game. If
it’s more serious than a
sprain, strain or fracture –
such as an ACL tear – the
ER and urgent care clinic
would likely refer you to
an orthopaedic surgeon
to treat the injury. You
can save time and money
by going straight to an
orthopaedic provider and
calling your primary care
doctor for a referral.

Plan for medical treatment
Many patients assume that
a bone is not broken, or an
injury isn’t serious, if they
can still move the affected
area. But ligaments,
tendons and muscles hold
bones together, allowing
them to still move even
if they are broken. In
some cases, this can cause
it to shift or displace,
necessitating further
correction. Similarly,
some patients have a high
threshold for pain and
can tolerate walking on
or using a broken bone –
which is likely to further
aggravate the injury. If
you suspect an injury,
visit urgent care or your
orthopaedic surgeon for
proper care and don’t try
to tough it out.

Not all injuries are an
emergency. And if you can
tell the difference, you can
save significant time and
money while still receiving
high-quality care.

Dr. Subir Jossan and Dr.

Steven Neufeld both practice
throughout Northern
Virginia with The Centers for
Advanced Orthopaedics, the
largest private orthopaedic
provider in the country.

Dr. Jossan also serves
as Treasurer.

washingtonFAMILY.com November 2017 19