I spent a night in the hospital in May. I went in through the ER around 9:00 on a Sunday morning, and I didn't even sit down -- they took me straight to the back. Literally, I said, "My husband is parking the car, can I wait one minute?" and then I saw him jogging in through the doors, and he came with me.
The last time I was in the ER was more than a decade ago -- that was for my husband. We went in 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, middle of the week. Again, we went straight in.
Have we just been lucky? Maybe. Two examples isn't exactly evidence.
I never said Urgent Cares are "Better".
My daughter works in Urgent Care management. Urgent Cares are great for what they are -- but she says that the general public doesn't "get" how to access the right kind of medical care. She says, "Step on a bee, go to Urgent Care. Step on a bee hive, go to the Emergency Room."
People sometimes come into the Urgent Care with a gun shot or a stroke -- and all they can do is call you an ambulance. And it doesn't come any faster to the Urgent Care. For a real emergency, go to the emergency room.
We have a stand-alone Emergency Room nearby. It's kinda like an Urgent Care on steroids, and they have a helicopter pad /can call for transport to the nearby hospital, if need be. I've never visited, but I've heard good things about it.
Changing the subject a bit: At my doctor's urging, I got our local hospital group's phone app -- love it. When I log in, one of the things I can see is the anticipated wait time at all the local Urgent Cares and Emergency Rooms. To tell the truth, when I went to the hospital back in May, I didn't even remember to check it. I use it to view my appointments, my last lab results, etc., but the Emergency Room info is useful.