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 average time patients spend in the ED before leaving the visit as part of its “timely and effective care” measure set. The data was released May 13 and covers ED visits in the 12-month period ending June 2025. It applies to all adults and children treated at hospitals paid under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System or the Outpatient Prospective Payment System, and includes Veterans Health Administration and Department of Defense hospitals. Learn more about the measures here.
Nationwide, the average ED visit time was 161 minutes for the 12-month period ending June 2025, down from 163 minutes the same period a year prior, CMS data shows.
A note on interpreting these figures:Hospital-level rankings do not account for patient acuity or case complexity. Facilities operating high-volume or Level 1 trauma centers are likely to show longer visit times than lower-acuity peers — reflecting the complexity of care delivered, not necessarily inefficiency. To effectively assess ED performance, experts recommend benchmarking against a cohort of similar facilities. For a deeper look at how leaders can build a more accurate picture of ED performance, read more here.
Below are 10 hospitals with the longest ED visit times. For comparison, Becker’s also compiled figures from the prior year’s dataset. Where available, estimated annual ED volumes are included. Hospitals operating Level 1 trauma centers are bolded.
| Hospital | Median ED wait time (2025) | Sample size | Median ED wait time (2024) | Sample size | Estimated annual ED volumes |
| Loma Linda (Calif.) University Medical Center | 464 | 348 | 404 | 374 | 60,000+ |
| Manati Medical Center (Puerto Rico) | 443 | 1883 | 419 | 1,790 | — |
| MedStar Washington (D.C.) Hospital Center | 400 | 352 | 395 | 361 | 76,000+ |
| MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center (Clinton, Md.) | 386 | 333 | 353 | 352 | 44,000+ |
| MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center (Baltimore) | 384 | 328 | 371 | 314 | 64,000+ |
| George Washington University Hospital (Washington, D.C.) | 380 | 372 | 360 | 373 | 75,000 |
| St. Peter’s Hospital (Albany, N.Y.) | 374 | 389 | 400 | 366 | 54,000 |
| University Health System (San Antonio) | 374 | 351 | 261 | 383 | 66,00+ |
| MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (Washington, D.C.) | 371 | 381 | 350 | 380 | — |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) | 369 | 383 | 342 | 369 | 125,000+ |
| Loma Linda (Calif.) University Medical Center | 464 | 348 | 243 | 372 | 125,000+ |
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