ER Wait Times

How our ER Wait Times are Calculated

ER wait times, as displayed on this website, are an average and are provided for informational purposes only. If you are having a medical emergency, call 9-1-1.

The ER wait time as shown is calculated using a 4 hour rolling average which is updated every 15 minutes. Each time used to calculate the average is defined as the time of patient registration at the ER until the time a patient is greeted by a qualified medical professional. A qualified medical professional is defined as a Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Osteopathy (DO), Physician Assistant (PA) or Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP).

Patients are triaged at arrival and are then seen by a qualified medical professional in the priority order based on their presenting complaint and reason for visit. The national average wait time, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is 1 hour.

Why is the wait so long?

We understand that a long wait for care in the ER can be very stressful. The ER is an unpredictable environment that changes from minute to minute, and our team is working hard to ensure you receive the quality care you need. As shared above, patients in the ER waiting room are evaluated by a triage nurse after registration and then seen according to how dangerous their condition is — not  on a first-come, first-serve basis. Due to these rapidly changing demands, your own wait time may be more or less than the time displayed on this website. 

If you have been waiting a long time and feel that your condition is getting worse, please ask a member of our team for help.