How do I know whether I should visit urgent care or the emergency room?

Minor illnesses and injuries are best treated by your primary care team or Ochsner’s urgent care services. When your symptoms are severe or you have a life-threatening emergency, you need the emergency department. Those symptoms can include: Bleeding that will not stop Chest pain Feeling and acting tired or confused after mild or major trauma Loss of balance or coordination Passing out Problems speaking or understanding speech Severe abdominal pain that may worsen when urinating Sudden leg, arm or facial weakness or numbness Trouble breathing or catching your breath Vision loss Worst headache ever experienced Wounds from stabbing or gunshot

Emergency Medicine & Emergency Departments

Why choose Ochsner Health for your emergency care?

In an emergency, you need expert medical care, fast. At Ochsner, our team of experts provides emergency services for any and every life-threatening situation across Louisiana in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Marrero, Kenner, Gretna, Luling, LaPlace, Mandeville, Slidell, Raceland, Morgan City, Plaquemine, Breaux Bridge, Lafayette, Kaplan, Crowley, Jennings, Monroe, Shreveport and Houma, and Bay St. Louis in Mississippi. Thanks to our network of facilities and subspecialists, we provide 24-hour world-class care close to home in emergency departments throughout the region.

Minor illnesses and injuries are best treated by your primary care team or Ochsner’s urgent care services. When your symptoms are severe or you have a life-threatening emergency, you need the emergency department.

Those symptoms can include:

Bleeding that will not stop
Chest pain
Feeling and acting tired or confused after mild or major trauma
Loss of balance or coordination
Passing out
Problems speaking or understanding speech
Severe abdominal pain that may worsen when urinating
Sudden leg, arm or facial weakness or numbness
Trouble breathing or catching your breath
Vision loss
Worst headache ever experienced
Wounds from stabbing or gunshot

When seeking emergency care, leave jewelry, medication and other valuables at home. If possible, bring the following:

Emergency contact information
List of current medications and allergies
Medical records
Photo identification

When you arrive at the emergency department, we will greet you promptly and begin your care as soon as possible.

Here's what to expect when you arrive at the emergency department:

A nurse will check your vital signs and ask your primary reason for seeking emergency care. Based on this information, the nurse will determine the severity of your problem. If your issue is life-threatening, you’ll go to a patient room immediately.
Once in a patient room, your team will work to determine or confirm a diagnosis. Blood or urine tests, along with radiology and diagnostic imaging tests (MRI, CT, ultrasound, etc.) could be ordered.
Your team will begin treatment.
When you are OK to leave, you will be sent home with follow-up orders. If you need additional care before going home, you may be admitted to the hospital for additional testing, treatment or evaluation.

Ochsner also offers specialized emergency care including:

Pediatric emergency care
Comprehensive Stroke Centers at Ochsner Medical Center - New Orleans and Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport
Trauma care at the Level I Trauma Center at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport – Academic Medical Center and at the Level II Trauma Center at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center.

Our Ochsner emergency department team is specially trained to diagnose and treat emergency issues so you get back to your life as soon as possible. If you need a higher level of care, we can transfer you to another facility with ease.

Ochsner doctors are trained in dozens of specialty areas. Our emergency staff can consult with cardiology, orthopedics, pediatrics, neurology, psychology and many other specialists. Our specialists can even evaluate you virtually to help you get the right diagnosis and the right treatment as soon as possible.

When you visit an Ochsner emergency department, you’ll receive care from a team of experts. Our emergency staff includes:

Case workers
Emergency medicine physicians
Advanced practice providers, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants
Nurses
Paramedics
Social workers

Ochsner is actively working to improve the future of emergency care. Every emergency services department reviews data for improvement opportunities.

Some Ochsner facilities help train future emergency medicine physicians and advanced practice providers. These physicians in training work alongside our team of experts during their residencies, getting real-world experience providing patient care to those in need.

"I want to say my visit to the ER was really pleasant, but most of all, the team member who took my vitals when I arrived was so compassionate and very professional. He went above and beyond to make my visit comfortable." -- Angel B.

"I’ve never felt so genuinely cared for in a hospital before. I was incredibly emotional throughout my stay, and not once did anyone make me feel like a burden. Instead, you listened to me, comforted me, and made sure I always felt seen and supported. That level of empathy and understanding means more than I can express. I was going through one of the hardest times in my life, and every single nurse I met somehow made each day a little better." -- Dana B.

“I am eternally grateful for the care I received from the Kenner ED team. This group truly saved my life!” -- Emile L., pulmonary embolism patient at Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner emergency room

FAQs

Not necessarily. The emergency team makes every effort to evaluate patients as soon as they arrive.

Sometimes, there are more patients in the emergency room than there are beds available. If a bed isn’t available, the emergency team might talk to patients in different locations like triage or small rooms. They also might use virtual technology called “TeleTriage” to make sure patients are safe and get their treatment started while they wait for a bed.

That depends on why you're there. The medical staff wants to get a diagnosis and potential treatment started as soon as possible — sometimes even before an emergency department bed is available.

For example, a patient with a suspected sprained ankle may be evaluated when they arrive, then sent for an X-ray before an emergency department waiting room is available. Once the X-ray is complete, the patient would go to a results waiting room and be sent home with treatment instructions.

In this case, the patient would receive an evaluation and diagnosis from the emergency department team without ever getting a bed in the emergency room.

Emergency medicine focuses on the quick diagnosis, treatment and stabilization of sudden illnesses, injuries and emergencies. Emergency room doctors handle a wide range of conditions, make quick decisions and coordinate care to save lives in critical situations.

Yes, ER (emergency room) and ED (emergency department) refer to the same place where emergency medical care is provided. "ER" is the more traditional term, while "ED" is the modern, broader term used in healthcare to reflect that it's more than just a single room but an entire department.

Urgent care is perfect for non-life-threatening issues that need attention quickly but don’t require a visit to the emergency room. Open after hours and on weekends, these clinics provide immediate care for walk-ins without the need for an appointment. Emergency rooms (ERs) are reserved for severe or life-threatening situations. If the issue could put your life or well-being at risk, the ER is the place to go.