OR Hospitals’ Emergency Room Waiting Times - Big Differences

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Saturday, January 02, 2016

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

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

SEE SLIDES BELOW HOW EACH EMERGENCY ROOM IN OR PERFORMED

Emergency rooms wait times are an indication of overcrowding. According 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 I-5 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 Oregon, the reality is that OHSU 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 OHSU's includes:

pediatric ED
Oregon poison center
operating rooms open and staffed around the clock
a 2nd-ranked NIH-Funded Research Team
the Center for Policy and Research in Emergency Medicine 

As OHSU's Chair of Emergency Medicine Dr. O. John Ma, said previously, "the OHSU emergency department serves a vital role for the emergency health care needs of Oregonians. As a tertiary care referral center and Level I Trauma Center, the emergency department cares for all patients, at all ages, who present with conditions ranging from the routine to the most life-threatening at any time of the day. OHSU's catchment area of trauma patients extends to all portions of the state and the emergency department frequently treats transferred patients with a multitude of complex illnesses and injuries who cannot be managed at other Oregon hospitals. Furthermore, in close collaboration with our cardiovascular and neurologic specialists, OHSU has accredited chest pain and stroke centers where patients receive immediate access to time-critical therapy."

"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

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 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.

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Related Slideshow: Waiting Times at Portland Emergency Rooms - 2015

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