How Long is the ER Wait at Evanston Hospitals?

If you go to the emergency room at NorthShore University Health System Evanston Hospital, how long will it take before you see a health-care professional?

The federal government says 41 minutes on average.

That's worse than both the state and national average, but it's not as bad as St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, where the average wait is 61 minutes, according to a new database causing some hospital officials nationwide to cringe. That's about double both the state and national averages.

Key measures of ER efficiency have been posted from hospitals taking part across the country, according to a report by Cheryl Clark, now senior quality editor for HealthLeaders Media.

“With precious little fanfare, Uncle Sam...rolled out a big, fat database with seven measures comparing a service that many people — healthcare providers and patients alike — consider the most critical any hospital can provide,” Clark wrote.

Data collected in 2011 and early 2012 also tracked things like how long it took for an ER patient with a broken bone to get pain medication, or how long the wait was to get a bed, if they needed admission. Other data showed how long patients spent in the ER before being sent home and whether they received a brain scan if they might have suffered a stroke. If even asked questions about how clean the bathrooms are.

You can use Evanston Patch's interactive map and search tool to get the numbers of more than 70 hospitals in the greater Chicago area. Our search tool also allows you to search by hospital name, county or city.

For even more data on local hospitals, visit the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare website.