RI Hospitals' Emergency Room Waiting Times - Big Differences

RI Hospitals' Emergency Room Waiting Times - Big Differences

It is literally life or death. Emergency rooms save lives and the waiting time can be the difference. 

In Rhode Island, the emergency rooms vary greatly. The waiting times at some hospitals can be 3 to 4 times as long as the best ones - some are more than an hour on average. 

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Emergency rooms wait times are an indication of overcrowding. Accroding to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) “wait times for treatment increased as the annual volume of visits increased."

The mean wait time was 33.8 minutes in emergency rooms with less than 20,000 annual visits, compared with 69.8 minutes in ERs with 50,000 or more annual visits.”

That car crash on Route 95 that requires emergency response to use the jaws of life and the victim needs immediate response? One hospital is most likely to take the victim of the accident.

In Rhode Island, the reality is that Rhode Island Hospital’s absorbs most of the most complex cases as it is a Level 1 Trauma Center. It is verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I Trauma Center with both adult and pediatric capability.

Accordingly, functions at Rhode Island Hospital’s Trauma center include:

• certified trauma surgeons
• nurses trained and experienced in delivering acute care
• operating rooms open and staffed around the clock
• state-of-the-art imaging and monitoring equipment, which helps us provide quick evaluation and diagnosis
• rescue squads and response teams that are prepared to maximize pre-hospital care and fast transport

As Rhode Island Hospital’s Dr. Brian Zink said previously, “We determine who gets admitted to the hospital, who can go home, and have the opportunity to interface with all types of providers and caregivers. In the future we need to take advantage of this position to improve the efficiency and quality of emergency care, but also to develop sensible ways to reduce avoidable hospital admissions, coordinate care with community physicians, medical homes, and skilled nursing facilities, and manage chronic diseases better.”

"The reliance on emergency care remains stronger than ever," said Michael Gerardi, MD, FAAP, FACEP, president of the ACEP.  "It's the only place that's open 24/7, and we never turn anyone away.  Rather than trying to put a moat around us to keep people out, it's time to recognize the incredible value of this model of medicine that people need."

Nationally Stats

The Northeast has a tendency to have among the longest waiting times on average at 44.3 minutes and the West Coast is significantly lower average at 37.2 minutes.

Nationally the number are:

    •    Number of visits: 136.3 million
    •    Number of injury-related visits: 40.2 million
    •    Number of visits per 100 persons: 44.5
    •    Percent of visits with patient seen in fewer than 15 minutes: 27.0%
    •    Percent of visits resulting in hospital admission: 11.9%
    •    Percent of visits resulting in transfer to a different (psychiatric or other) hospital: 2.1%

The American Hospital Association reports that emergency room visits have increased by nearly 19 percent over the past decade.

GoLocal used the data prepared by Pro Publica.