Average ER visits last over 5 hours in Oregon, new data says

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The average visit to the emergency room in Oregon lasts around 5 hours and 12 minutes, according to new data from the Oregon Health Authority.

While still higher than the national average of 2 hours and 42 minutes, this marks a decrease from 2022 when visits reached nearly six hours.

The data comes from OHA’s new Oregon

Hospital Discharge Data Dashboard, which features statistics not only on lengths of stay, but diagnoses, patient demographics and more.

Previously, the full data was only accessible by spreadsheet upon request.

According to the dashboard, the most common diagnoses for patients who only received care in the emergency room was chest pain, as well as respiratory infection and COVID-19.

Overall, OHA says the average stay at individual emergency departments varied between 2.6 to 26.1 hours, with longest time being an outlier from a behavioral health-focused emergency department.

Clare Pierce-Wrobel, OHA’s Health Policy and Analytics Division Director, noted they hope the dashboard will help the public and policymakers better understand hospital operations in the state and how people can receive better care.

“Our interactive online tool is packed with valuable information that state leaders can use to inform how they address numerous issues ranging from emergency department overcrowding to delays in discharging patients, maintaining labor and delivery services as the birth rate declines, and meeting growing behavioral health care needs,” she said.