Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that the increase for ER waiting time is due to supply and demand. More and more people are turning to ERs, while the number of emergency departments is shrinking.
There were about 1.1 billion ER visits in 2006-a 32 percent increase from 1996, but there has been a steady decline in the number of hospital emergency departments. The numbers dropped to fewer than 4,600, from nearly 4,900, according to American Hospital Association statistics. The results are based on a national survey of 362 hospital emergency departments.
In 2006, seven out of 10 visits had at least one medication provided, prescribed, or continued, for a total of 2.6 billion medications overall. Pain relievers were the most common, accounting for 13.6 percent of all drugs prescribed.
The report added that the number of visits to physician offices and hospital outpatient and emergency departments increased by 26 percent from 1996 to 2006, the most recent year for which complete data was available. The rise in visits can be linked to the aging of the population.
