ERcast: Clinical Perspectives Podcast Preview
The summary below is from an episode of ERcast: Clinical Perspectives
Publicly posted emergency department wait times change patient behavior. In a city-wide study, longer posted waits were followed by fewer check-ins at that site and small shifts to nearby hospitals, raising operational and patient-safety questions about delayed or forgone emergency care.
Posted ED Wait Times Effects
- Demand response signal: Patient arrivals moved inversely with posted wait times: a 60-minute longer displayed wait was associated with about 10% fewer check-ins over the next hour.
- Citywide redistribution effect: When one hospital's posted wait increased, nearby EDs saw a modest bump in arrivals, suggesting public dashboards can redistribute volume across a regional emergency care network.
- Possible deferred care risk: The concerning finding was not just hospital switching but evidence that some patients may choose not to present anywhere when waits look long, a nuance we get into in the episode.
- Nonlinear threshold behavior: The response was not purely linear; beyond a certain posted wait, arrivals dropped more sharply, indicating a tipping-point effect without a simple one-size-fits-all planning rule.
- Operational and leadership stakes: Posting wait times may shorten visible queues by shaping demand, but it also creates competitive pressure between hospitals and potential unintended harm if high-risk patients stay home.
Subscribe to ERcast: Clinical Perspectives to listen to the episode.
Faculty
- Mizuho Morrison, DO
Dr. Mizuho Morrison is a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician practicing in Southern California. She played a leadership role in FeminEM, helping develop and support its speaker coaching program, and occasionally contributes to Rebel EM. Additionally, Mizuho is an entrepreneur, co-founding 3MD| Three Mommy Doctors, a medical device company that redesigned first-aid kits for children. She lives in Orange County, CA, with her two children.
- Matthew DeLaney, MD, FACEP, FAAEM
Dr. Matthew DeLaney is an emergency medicine physician and educator based in Birmingham, Alabama. A native of Mobile, he earned his medical degree from the University of South Alabama and completed his emergency medicine residency at Maine Medical Center.Dr. DeLaney has experience in both community and academic emergency medicine and is known for his commitment to teaching and medical education. He lives in Birmingham with his wife, Erin, who is also a physician, and their two daughters.
