Study by Harvard Medical School researchers shows ER waits to be on rise

Jan 15, 2008

According to the study, 1/2 of all ER patients waited at least 30 minutes before being examined by a doctor, a 36% increase over 1997. Even those experiencing a heart attack often wait 20 minutes or more! "The numbers show that the emergency care system in the US is on the ropes," states lead author Andrew Wilper, a Harvard Medical School fellow in Internal Medicine.(Photo-John Bazeman, AP)