Wait time for treatment in hospital emergency departments: 2009.

From 1999 through 2009, the number of visits to emergency departments (EDs) increased 32%, from 102.8 million visits in 1999 to 136.1 million visits in 2009 (1,2). In some hospitals, increased ED visit volume has resulted in ED crowding and increased wait times for minor and sometimes serious problems, such as myocardial infarction (3–7). This report describes the recent trend in wait times for treatment in EDs, and focuses on how wait times for treatment varied by two ED crowding measures: ambulance diversions and boarding of admitted patients. All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.