An utterly practical guide to finding care during flu season

It’s peak winter cold and flu season, which means, more than likely, someone in your family is feeling crummy right now.

In the moment, it can be hard to know what symptoms are serious enough to merit a trip to your doctor’s office or urgent care — or when to go straight to the nearest emergency department.

Here are three things to know when you’re seeking our care for common cold and flu symptoms.

1. The fix for most run-of-the-mill symptoms may be at the drug store.

Dr. Matt Rosenberg, a primary care physician in Michigan, says he sees a lot of patients who expect antibiotics to alleviate their runny noses, coughs and fevers. The problem is, most of these symptoms are not caused by bacteria, he says. “They’re allergies and they’re viruses, and we don’t have a lot of great treatments for viruses.”

What a primary or urgent care provider can do is reassure you and direct you to the best over-the-counter medicine. And if you test positive for the flu, even at home, your doctor can prescribe an antiviral medication that can curb symptoms, such as Tamiflu or Relenza.

1. Save the trip to the ER for severe symptoms. 

Every winter, emergency departments see an influx of patients with respiratory illnesses. But going to the ER generally takes way more time and money than going to your doctor or an urgent care.

Dr. Milner Staub, a physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center who specializes in infectious disease, says there are three major symptoms that indicate an ER visit is necessary: “Shortness of breath to the point that they’re distressed. They’re sweating, they’re using extra muscles to get breath. And then either severe, unresponsive-to-pain-med headache or chest pain.”

1. To reduce the risk of illness, focus on prevention basics.

The best thing we can do for ourselves during cold and flu season, according to Rosenberg, is maintain generally healthy practices: Eat well, exercise and get fresh air, even in the cold. Plus, the classics: Wash your hands and get your flu shot.

People and policy

Insurers have been pushing for “site-neutral payments” so treating patients for cold or flu symptoms is the same price no matter where the care is provided. But at the moment, emergency departments and even hospital-owned urgent care clinics charge considerably more than independent urgent care or primary care clinics. This means your health plan is increasingly interested in where you choose to go when you need care for cold and flu symptoms — and may pass on some of the additional cost to you.

HealthQ is a health series from reporters Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer, your approachable guides to an unapproachable healthcare system. It’s a collaboration between Nashville Public Radio and KFF Health News. Katherine Ruppelt and Emily Siner contributed to this reporting.