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Florida's emergency room waits lengthen; SWFL location reported with the longest time

Gulf Coast Medical Center
Gulf Coast Medical Center

The longest wait for an emergency room visit in Florida is in Fort Myers, at Lee Health's Gulf Coast Medical Center. The average wait there is 4 hours, 34 minutes.

The average emergency room visit in Florida lasts 2 hours and 44 minutes, which ranks it 37th out of the 50 states.

Patients in a mental health crisis wait the longest statewide: an average of 4 hours and 27 minutes.

The data is taken from federal data collected by Find EMR, a company that compares electronic medical record software.

Districts with clinics can bypass traditional commercial insurance mark-ups.

Lee Health had this response by email:

"We understand that waiting for care in an emergency department can be frustrating for patients and their loved ones. As Southwest Florida's only Level II Trauma Center, Gulf Coast Medical Center provides care for some of the region's most complex emergency patients. Patients are seen by a provider in 35 minutes on average, reflecting our focus on timely access to care. Emergency department visit times can be influenced by patient acuity and the diagnostic testing, specialist consultations and treatments required. We continuously evaluate and refine patient flow processes to maximize efficiency and deliver the highest quality care for our community."

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