It’s the last thing you expected to happen during your vacation, but now that you’re sick—what to do? Ruidoso visitors have a choice between an urgent care clinic and the hospital emergency room. If you plan to use your medical insurance, visiting the wrong one could result in a claim denial by your provider. Here’s what you need to know should you find yourself ill or injured in Ruidoso.

Urgent Care

The purpose of urgent care, whether you’re on vacation or not, is to provide immediate medical attention when access to your regular doctor isn’t available. If you would normally go to your primary care doctor for treatment at home, then you should go to urgent care when on vacation.

CONTACT INFO

Ruidoso Walk-In Clinic - Urgent Care
Website

Address: Suite 1, 1204 Mechem Dr.
Ruidoso, NM 88345.
Telephone: +1 575-808-8297
FAX: +1 575 449 2623
E-mail: riudosowalkinclinic@gmail.com

Emergency Room

The purpose of the emergency room is to treat critical, life-threatening injuries and illnesses that require specialized treatment and doctors. If you need fast limb-or-life-saving care, the emergency room is the place to go.

CONTACT INFO

Lincoln County Medical Center Emergency Care
Website

Address: 211 Sudderth Dr,
Ruidoso, NM 88345.
Phone: (575) 257-8200

Health Insurance

If you plan to use your health insurance policy to pay for medical care, a visit to the emergency room that could be handled by an urgent care center may result in a claim denial if you are not in a life-threatening medical emergency.

For non-life-threatening situations, it’s best to call Urgent Care first to ask them about treating the medical condition. If the urgent care can’t treat your medical condition they’ll advise you to go to the emergency room. 

Essentially, if it’s critical and life-threatening the emergency room is where you should go, whereas anything else that your regular doctor would handle is best treated at urgent care.

What to Do If You Test Positive for COVID-19 During Your Visit

No matter how much we might like to, it’s not always possible to take a vacation from COVID-19. Visitors who test positive during their Ruidoso vacation should self-isolate. Recent CDC guidelines for testing positive state that you should quarantine for at least 5 days, try to stay away from others, especially the unvaccinated and medically vulnerable, and wear a tight-fitting mask if you are at risk of passing an infection to others. You can use the CDC Quarantine and Isolation Calculator to help determine how long you need to isolate, quarantine, or take other steps to prevent spreading COVID-19.