Which Delaware ER has the shortest average visit length, how state ranks nationally
Newly released data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sheds light on emergency room visit lengths in Delaware and how the First State compares with the rest of the country.
By hospital, between April 2022 and March 2023, the data showed St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington had the shortest emergency room visit lengths in Delaware. Bayhealth Hospital Kent Campus in Dover had the longest.
ChristianaCare Christiana Hospital had the highest percentage of patients who left the emergency room before being seen at 7%, and Beebe Healthcare in Lewes had the lowest at 2%.
All Delaware hospitals were asked to comment on the data, but only Beebe responded.
“There are many factors that can affect a person’s total time in the emergency room. As a trauma center, the severity of a person’s emergency needs is the leading factor in this timing," Dr. Paul Sierzenski, Beebe senior vice president, said via email. "Other factors may include the seasonal increase in demand for emergency services, which peak during the spring and summer visitor months, and again in the fall due to respiratory illnesses."
Nationwide, Delaware patients had the fifth-longest emergency department visits, according to the data. At an average of 141 minutes, Delaware followed only Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
For psychiatric/mental health patients, the wait was much longer, at an average of 396 minutes in Delaware. Only Washington, D.C., and Maryland had longer wait times for these patients.
The First State tied with Rhode Island for the second-highest percentage of patients who left the emergency room before being seen, at 6%. Washington, D.C., had the highest percentage at 8%.
Why Delaware emergency room visits take so long
"Higher acuity and long-stay patients, the behavioral health crisis, workforce and capacity challenges, and inadequate community-based supports all contribute to longer emergency department wait times in Delaware and our surrounding region," Delaware Healthcare Association President and CEO Brian Frazee said in a statement.
Long emergency room visits are frequently a symptom of healthcare "bottlenecks," Frazee said.
"In Delaware, there are more than 300 long-stay patients in hospital beds who no longer need to be there, but face barriers in being discharged to lower acuity care settings, leaving them stuck in the hospital without the appropriate rehab care that they need, and contributing to wait times," Frazee said. "This equates to about 10% of Delaware’s hospital capacity that is tied up because there are no facilities available to accept these patients."
More: Respiratory illnesses on the rise in Delaware: What to know
This sort of "bottleneck" is most challenging during times such as now, when hospitals and other healthcare facilities are at or near capacity due to cold and flu season, Frazee said.
In addition, the number of Delawareans without health insurance has increased, Frazee said, and "some people without health insurance coverage or without a primary care provider use hospital emergency departments to address all their health care needs, often when those needs have become most serious."
Workforce challenges also play a role.
"The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated shortages in the healthcare workforce nationally, and at the same time Delaware’s population is growing rapidly, increasing demands on the healthcare infrastructure," Frazee said.
Delaware hospitals are implementing innovative solutions to combat emergency room wait times, Frazee said, and working with Delaware government agencies for long-term solutions.
Residents can help reduce emergency room wait times by only using them for serious or life-threatening conditions and by getting vaccinated against flu, COVID-19, and if applicable, RSV.
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Why ER visits take so long in Delaware, where they're shortest
