Where the numbers come from
Every hospital that receives Medicare payments reports emergency department measures to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). I use measure OP-18b: the median time patients spent in the emergency department, from arrival to leaving, for patients who were discharged home (excluding psychiatric and transferred patients). The current data covers October 2024 to September 2025.
What the numbers do not tell you
They are not live waits. They do not include patients admitted to the hospital, and they say nothing about quality of care. A busy day can be much longer than the typical time. In an emergency, the closest ER is usually the right one, and calling 911 gets care started on the way.
Who built this
I am Harvey Castro, MD, MBA, a board-certified emergency physician, author and healthcare AI keynote speaker. I built ER Wait Times as a DR GPT™ Labs project because patients often ask me where they should have gone, and the answer starts with knowing the options. Learn more at https://www.HarveyCastroMD.com.
Is there a best time of day to go?
I wish I could tell you. The Medicare data reports one typical visit time per hospital for the whole year, with no breakdown by hour or day of the week, so I do not publish a best time. If you think it is an emergency, go now or call 911.
How often is this updated?
Last checked October 25, 2026 against the latest Medicare release. CMS refreshes these numbers about every three months, and I update this site after each release.
Privacy
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About these numbers. Times are the typical (median) total time patients spent in each emergency department from arrival to leaving, for patients who went home, as reported to Medicare (CMS) for October 2024 to September 2025. They are not live wait times, and a real visit can be shorter or much longer. Hospitals without enough data are not shown. Locations are approximate (ZIP code center). Specialty hospitals (surgical, heart, orthopedic) often have small ERs with short times but may not treat every emergency. This site is general information, not medical advice, and does not replace a clinician. In an emergency, call 911.