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Emergency department (ED) visits in the United States appear to be improving when comparing length-of-stay numbers year-over-year, according to a recent analysis tracking utilization trends. The report examines visit duration in 4-quarter increments, showing the ED length of stay from Q2 2023 through Q1 2024 averaged 5 hours, compared to 4.2 hours in the period from Q2 2024 through Q1 2025. This represents a 16.2% reduction in length of stay. Meanwhile, the inpatient admission rate and discharge rate from the ED remained steady at about 22% and 78%, respectively. In the first quarter of 2025, analysts found 61% of ED visits were considered emergent, and 39% were considered urgent. Emergent visits are projected to increase by an additional 8% in the next decade with urgent visits remaining flat, according to Vizient and Kaufman Hall, authors of the analysis. The report also notes that patients waited a median of 16 days for a primary care appointment in 2024 with 41% of new patients being seen within 10 days. The next 10 years could bring a 15% increase in primary care visits, potentially affecting patient access and wait times.
Urgent care can compare: By comparison, urgent care center patients are almost always seen the same day, and visits are usually completed in 60 minutes or less. High-performing centers, however, often have door-to-door times closer to 45 minutes. “The emergency department exists for trauma, resuscitation, and inpatient admissions with the need for all continuing to grow,” says Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, President of Urgent Care Consultants and Senior Editor of JUCM. “Yet many emergency departments are already stretched to capacity. ED bed shortages are often attributed to boarding as patients await transfer to inpatient rooms, so health systems should fully leverage urgent care to open capacity for the ED to function as it’s intended.”