www.washingtonpost.com Open in urlscan Pro
104.96.128.158  Public Scan

Form analysis
2 forms found in the DOM

GET https://www.washingtonpost.com/newssearch/

<form id="search-form" method="get" class="search-form dn flex-ns items-center relative" action="https://www.washingtonpost.com/newssearch/" role="search" data-sc-v="5.0.1" data-sc-c="search"><span id="searchTitle" class="dn" data-sc-v="5.0.1"
    data-sc-c="search">Search Input</span><button type="submit" name="btn-search" class="pa-0 focus-highlight btn btn-sm dn dib-ns btn-show-search-input btn-gray" data-sc-v="5.0.1" data-sc-c="search"><svg class="content-box fill-white va-m"
      width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 16 16" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" data-sc-v="5.0.1" data-sc-c="iconbase">
      <title data-sc-v="5.0.1" data-sc-c="iconbase">Search</title>
      <path d="M10.974 9.56l3.585 3.585-1.414 1.414-3.585-3.585a5.466 5.466 0 1 1 1.414-1.414zm-1.04-3.094a3.466 3.466 0 1 0-6.934 0 3.466 3.466 0 0 0 6.933 0z" fill-rule="nonzero" data-sc-v="5.0.1" data-sc-c="iconbase"></path>
    </svg></button></form>

<form tabindex="-1"><label class="mb-xxs font--subhead font-xxxsgray-dark dn">Email address</label>
  <div class="relative flex items-center mb-xs mt-xs"><input type="text" aria-label="Email address" class="pl-sm pr-sm font--subhead w-100 font-xxs form-input light brad-2 b form-input-valid inset-shadow bg-white gray-darkest" value=""
      placeholder="Enter your email address" tabindex="-1"></div><input type="submit" class="btn btn-blue db dib-ns w-100 w-auto-ns pl-lg pr-lg" value="Sign up" tabindex="-1">
</form>

Text Content

Accessibility statementSkip to main content
Search InputSearch
SectionsMenu
SectionsMenu
The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness
€0.99 every four weeks
Sign inProfileSolid
Sign inProfileSolid



Advertisement


Close
The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness
Clock

This article is more than 1 year old

Health


WHY ARE WAIT TIMES SO LONG IN EMERGENCY ROOMS?


The average ER wait time in the United States is about 40 minutes. (iStock)
By Erin Blakemore
May 30, 2020
By Erin Blakemore
May 30, 2020
Share this story

Have you ever rushed to the emergency room — then waited, and waited and waited?
If so, you’re not alone. The average ER wait time in the United States is about
40 minutes. And more than 22 million ER visits — over 16 percent of all visits —
involved more than an hour of waiting in 2017, the most recent year tabulated by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

FAQ: What to know about the omicron variant of the coronavirusArrowRight

Why the long wait times?

Two health policy experts from Boston University had the same question. And when
they dived into the statistics, they realized that some patients are urged to go
to the ER even though they don’t have a true emergency.

Paul Shafer, an assistant professor of health law, policy and management, and
Alex Woodruff, a policy analyst, identify a variety of reasons ER waits are so
long in an article published in The Conversation.

Advertisement

Story continues below advertisement



ERs face what they call a “herculean task”: treat all comers, reduce wait times
and reduce costs, even in the face of financial stressors. But the sheer number
of people who walk through the doors makes all the difference — and those
numbers can be driven up by physicians who don’t have admitting privileges and
those who refer people to the ER because of tight schedules or symptoms beyond
their purview.

They cite a 2017 study in which researchers surveyed 1,100 patients who had been
triaged at the UCLA emergency department. None of the patients had symptoms that
had resulted in immediate care, and none were in severe pain or distress.

Fifty-two percent of the patients reported they had spoken with a medical
provider or office within the past three days, and 59 percent said they’d have
been willing to see a doctor in a clinic instead. However, a full 70 percent
reported a medical provider told them to go to the emergency room.

Advertisement

Story continues below advertisement



“Every day, hospital emergency departments serve as the entry point into health
care for Americans who don’t feel right and have nowhere else to go, or have an
emergency, like a car accident,” they write. “This also includes millions of
patients seeking routine medical care that is available elsewhere: While the
estimates vary widely from study to study, upwards of a third of all emergency
department visits could be considered ‘nonurgent.’ ”



Shafer and Woodruff acknowledge that there’s no such thing as the “right” wait
time. In the article, they identify some potential solutions — and a raft of
systemic challenges that could keep your wait time high the next time you get
care. To read the piece, visit bit.ly/ERwait.



Sorry, ER patients. People with elective procedures get the hospital beds first.

How risky is it right now to get non-coronavirus medical care?

Hospitals are changing ERs to make a better environment for older people

Comment
104 Comments
GiftOutline
Gift Article



Loading...


Advertisement


Advertisement

Today’s Headlines

The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and
delivered every morning.

Email address


By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Advertisement


Advertisement

Company
 * About The Post
 * Newsroom Policies & Standards
 * Diversity and Inclusion
 * Careers
 * Media & Community Relations
 * WP Creative Group
 * Accessibility Statement

Get The Post
 * 
 * Become a Subscriber
 * Gift Subscriptions
 * Mobile & Apps
 * Newsletters & Alerts
 * Washington Post Live
 * Reprints & Permissions
 * Post Store
 * Books & E-Books
 * Newspaper in Education
 * Print Archives (Subscribers Only)
 * e-Replica
 * Today’s Paper

Contact Us
 * Contact the Newsroom
 * Contact Customer Care
 * Contact the Opinions team
 * Advertise
 * Licensing & Syndication
 * Request a Correction
 * Send a News Tip
 * Report a Vulnerability

Terms of Use
 * Digital Products Terms of Sale
 * Print Products Terms of Sale
 * Terms of Service
 * Privacy Policy
 * Cookie Settings
 * Submissions & Discussion Policy
 * RSS Terms of Service
 * Ad Choices

washingtonpost.com © 1996-2021 The Washington Post
 * washingtonpost.com
 * © 1996-2021 The Washington Post
 * About The Post
 * Contact the Newsroom
 * Contact Customer Care
 * Request a Correction
 * Send a News Tip
 * Report a Vulnerability
 * Download the Washington Post App
 * Policies & Standards
 * Terms of Service
 * Privacy Policy
 * Cookie Settings
 * Print Products Terms of Sale
 * Digital Products Terms of Sale
 * Submissions & Discussion Policy
 * RSS Terms of Service
 * Ad Choices






THE WASHINGTON POST CARES ABOUT YOUR PRIVACY

We and our partners store and/or access information on a device, such as unique
IDs in cookies to process personal data. You may accept or manage your choices
by clicking below, including your right to object where legitimate interest is
used, or at any time in the privacy policy page. These choices will be signaled
to our partners and will not affect browsing data.


WE AND OUR PARTNERS PROCESS DATA TO PROVIDE:

Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Select basic ads. Store
and/or access information on a device. Create a personalised ads profile. Select
personalised ads. Create a personalised content profile. Select personalised
content. Measure ad performance. Measure content performance. Apply market
research to generate audience insights. Develop and improve products. View list
of partners

I accept Manage cookies