Many patients still don't know the difference between emergency facilities and urgent care centers. (Photo: iStock)

People might think they’re visiting an urgent care center, but the facilities could actually be freestanding emergency centers located outside of hospitals — and the resulting sticker shock could be painful, NBC News reports.

According to the National Association of Freestanding Emergency Centers in Austin, Texas, freestanding emergency centers’ medical services meet the same requirements and accreditations as hospital emergency rooms.

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Katie Kuehner-Hebert

Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience, with particular expertise in employee benefits and other human resource topics.

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