Heading to a hospital emergency room? Pack a bag, bring snacks and don't forget the phone charger. Many people expect it will take hours to get care. How long does it really take? A study by consumer advocate Compare the Market analyzed data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid for ER visits in 2024, revealing the Texas average wait time to be seen was 2 hours and 23 minutes, while the national average was 2 hours and 42 minutes. Of course, some local emergency departments did much worse than the national average. The time to be seen does not mean the time it will take to receive treatment or to be transferred to an inpatient bed for more care. It means the time from when you arrive to when a doctor, physician assistant or nurse practitioner sees you. Wait times vary based on the severity of the case. Here's how Austin-area emergency rooms stack up, from shortest wait time to longest:
- The Hospital at Westlake Medical Center: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Ascension Seton Smithville Regional Hospital: 1 hour, 48 minutes
- Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Buda: 1 hour, 52 minutes
- Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Pflugerville: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- St. David's Round Rock Medical Center: 2 hours, 20 minutes
- Ascension Seton Cedar Park Regional Medical Center: 2 hours, 25 minutes
- Ascension Seton Bastrop: 2 hours, 25 minutes
- St David's South Austin Medical Center: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Christus Santa Rosa Hospital-San Marcos: 2 hours, 32 minutes
- Ascension Seton Southwest Medical Center: 2 hours, 38 minutes
- St David's Medical Center: 2 hours, 50 minutes
- Ascension Seton Northwest Medical Center: 2 hours, 53 minutes
- North Austin Medical Center: 2 hours, 53 minutes
- Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Round Rock: 2 hours, 58 minutes
- Ascension Seton Medical Center: 3 hours, 15 minutes
- Ascension Seton Williamson, Round Rock: 3 hours, 19 minutes
- Ascension Seton Hays, Kyle: 3 hours, 38 minutes
- Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas: 4 hours, 35 minutes