Only 4.3 percent of emergency visits are considered nonurgent, new CDC data shows
Emergency visits climbed to a record high of 145.6 million patients in 2016, the most recent year available, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This is an increase from more than 136.9 million visits in 2015. And, only 4.3 percent of emergency patients went to the emergency department with nonurgent medical symptoms, a decrease from 5.5 percent in 2015. Wait times continue to improve. More than one-third (39 percent) of patients wait less than 15 minutes to see a provider and nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of patients are seen in less than one hour.