How Long is the ER Wait at Largo Hospitals?

If you have a broken bone and need pain medicine at the emergency room in north Pinellas County, how long will you have to wait at your local hospital?

Patients waited up to an average of 62 minutes at Largo Medical Center for some pain relief, which is right at the national average of 62 minutes, according to a new federal database. The Florida average is 69 minutes.

Morton Plant Hospital fared even better. The average wait time for, "patients who came to the emergency department with broken bones before receiving pain medication," was 56 minutes at Morton Plant.

Largo Medical Center Wait Time Results (Charts from Medicare.gov.)

Average time patients spent in the emergency department, before they were admitted to the hospital as an inpatient

226 Minutes

315 Minutes

277 Minutes

Average time patients spent in the emergency department, after the doctor decided to admit them as an inpatient before leaving the emergency department for their inpatient room

52 Minutes

124 Minutes

98 Minutes

Average time patients spent in the emergency department before being sent home

149 Minutes

160 Minutes

140 Minutes

Average time patients spent in the emergency department before they were seen by a healthcare professional

18 Minutes

30 Minutes

30 Minutes

Average time patients who came to the emergency department with broken bones had to wait before receiving pain medication

62 Minutes

69 Minutes

62 Minutes

Morton Plant Hospital Wait Times
 

Average time patients spent in the emergency department, before they were admitted to the hospital as an inpatient

278 Minutes

315 Minutes

277 Minutes

Average time patients spent in the emergency department, after the doctor decided to admit them as an inpatient before leaving the emergency department for their inpatient room

91 Minutes

124 Minutes

98 Minutes

Average time patients spent in the emergency department before being sent home

169 Minutes

160 Minutes

140 Minutes

Average time patients spent in the emergency department before they were seen by a healthcare professional

44 Minutes

30 Minutes

30 Minutes

Average time patients who came to the emergency department with broken bones had to wait before receiving pain medication

56 Minutes

69 Minutes

62 Minutes

Florida is famous for its hospital billboards flashing the average ER wait time up and down highways, but this newly released data finds how long the wait really is during the course of a sample period.

A new federal database publicly released wait times averages, measuring the wait in several categories.

Key measures of ER efficiency have been posted from hospitals taking part across the country, according to a report in HealthLeaders Media.

“With precious little fanfare, Uncle Sam last month 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,” writer Cheryl Clark wrote.

Data collected in 2011 and early 2012 also tracked how long it took for an ER patient to be seen by a healthcare professional and 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. 

Clark interviewed Dr. Jesse Pines, an emergency room doctor and researcher who directs the center for healthcare quality at George Washington University.

“The theory is that when hospitals report this information, it makes them focus on it, and improve throughout their [Emergency Department],” Pines was quoted as saying.

“But it’s very hard to do. Certain performance measures are easier to fix—like simple process measures like giving patients an aspirin—than improving ED throughput, which involves development of interdisciplinary teams.”

How To Find Hospital ER Wait Times

First go to the Hospital Compare website. Then type in your ZIP code, city or local hospital. When a list of hospitals is displayed, put a checkmark next to two or three hospitals.

Scroll down to a yellow button labeled Compare Now, and click to display more details. Look for a tab called Timely and Effective Care and click that.

Finally, scroll down to a section called Timely Emergency Department Care. A green button allows you to “View More Details."

Were you surprised by any of the stats displayed?  Tell us in the comments.

Sign up for the Largo Patch email newsletter to get our top headlines delivered straight to your inbox so you won't miss a thing!