New App IDs Which Hospital ER Has the Shortest Wait Time

By Alexander Nguyen

During a medical emergency, minutes and seconds count. So it stands to reason that going to the nearest emergency room is the best choice to make. If your medical needs are not quite as life-threatening, however, the E.R. a few miles down the road might have a shorter wait time.

ProPublica’s new interactive “ER Wait Watchers” online app lets you know the average wait time of nearby ERs before you are seen by a medical professional. So the next time your child has an unexpected bout of stomach flu, you would know that, on average, you would be seen nine minutes earlier at the Methodist Hospital of Southern California than at Alhambra Hospital.

The app is easy to use. Just plug in your ZIP code, and it will provide you with information about the hospitals near you and their emergency room wait time. The times listed are the average wait time and not the current wait time. The only way to know the current wait time for sure is to call the hospital.

ProPublica stresses the quality of care does not necessarily translate to shorter wait time. Some hospitals have longer wait time because it takes longer to care for those patients.

Time is not the only important factor in determining the quality of care patient satisfaction. Scores include other hospital quality measures to help consumers determine which emergency room to go to.

Of course, if you’re having a heart attack, the best course of action is still to call 911 and be transported to the nearest hospital.

The app uses data the hospitals voluntarily send to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that administers the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

To check out the app, click here.

Muna Cosic contributed to this report.