More Utahns are using less expensive means to take care of their health and avoiding trips to the emergency room.

The Utah Department of Health issued a Health Status Update this month showing that trips to the emergency department at Utah hospitals are down more than seven-percent from 2016 to 2018.

At the same time, trips to urgent care facilities are up more than five-percent, and the use of telemedicine is up nearly two-percent.

The update points out that a visit to the emergency room is generally five and a half times more expensive than a trip to urgent care.

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