An emergency condition is when you are experiencing extreme or sudden pain or have acute symptoms that require immediate medical diagnosis, care and treatment to avoid disability or death.

Emergency services are those required for an acute medical condition in which a prudent layperson could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in serious jeopardy or harm.

If you have an emergency situation, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room no matter where you are located. You do not need pre-approval from your physician for initial ER care, but related follow-up care should be provided through your primary care physician.

Urgent care means services that are medically required within a short time frame, usually within 24 hours, in order to prevent serious deterioration of a member's health due to an unforeseen illness or injury.

If an urgent care situation arises while you are in WHA's service area, call your PCP. You can call your doctor at any time of the day, including evenings and weekends. Your doctor or the physician on-call will direct your care. To make sure urgent care services are covered while you are in the service area, go only to your medical groups' contracted urgent care clinic. When you are outside the service area, contact your PCP first for direction. View the Provider Directory for local urgent care clinic locations. For more information, visit mywha.org/er.