10 hospitals with longest ED visit times, per CMS

Becker's has compiled a list of hospitals and health systems with the longest emergency department visit times using data from CMS' provider data catalog. 

The CDC tracks the median length of stay for ED patients as part of its "timely and effective care" measure set. The data was released July 31 and covers ED visits recorded from October 2022 through September 2023. Measures in this dataset apply to all adults and children treated in hospitals paid under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System or the Outpatient Prospective Payment System. Learn more about the measures here.

Nationwide, the median emergency department visit time was 163 minutes, up from 162 minutes in the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, 2023, CMS data shows. 

Below are 10 hospitals or health systems with the longest median ED visit times. Becker's also compiled wait times for the same period a year earlier to understand how figures have changed.  

Note: CMS does not include hospitals' total ED volumes or case mix index in the dataset. For additional context, Becker's collected estimated annual ED volumes for all hospitals with the data publicly available on their websites. Six of the 10 organizations (bolded below) operate level 1 trauma centers. 

*Data is based on a shorter time period than required, according to CMS.