What to expect at the ER: A guide to navigating the emergency room

• Your ER experience and wait time will depend on the severity of your condition.
• Reasons to go to the ER might be excessive bleeding, a high fever, a seizure, or chest pains.
• If you need to see a doctor immediately, but it's not an emergency, urgent-care is another option.

When you or a loved one arrives at an emergency room (ER) in the US, you should expect to have a nurse briefly assess you shortly after arrival. The nurse will determine the severity of your condition, which will determine your wait time. If you're in serious condition, you may be brought by paramedics or EMTs and be taken directly to a trauma ward, or seen by a doctor immediately depending on your condition.

People in the ER are treated in order of how sick they are, says Eric Chu, MD, an emergency medicine physician at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

Due to COVID-19: Hospitals are temporarily inaccessible to visitors or family members unless there are extenuating circumstances. These restrictions may vary from state to state.

"For example, if you are brought in after having a cardiac arrest, you will be taken to the resuscitation bay where you will be seen immediately. In other cases, you may walk into the waiting room, be assessed by a nurse, and then depending on your acuity, have to wait until a room is open for you," says Chu.

Average wait times in the ER can range from 25 to 50 minutes, depending on how busy the hospital is. "I think the biggest factor on how long it'll take to be seen in the ER is where you live and which hospital you go to. I have seen patients wait six hours just to be put into a room. It also depends on what time and which day you go. Mondays are notorious for being the busiest day of the week and the weekends are usually the least," says Chu.

Here are some instances when you might need to go to an ER, and what you can expect once you're there.

What to expect at the ER

When your wait time is over, a trained emergency nurse will assess your condition and determine the urgency of your situation; this process is referred to as "triage."

While you're waiting to see a doctor, you may be x-rayed, given medications for your symptoms, or be asked to provide blood or other samples.

Important: If your or a loved one are experiencing a potentially life-threatening medical emergency, call 911 immediately.

"You will be seen by a doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner when you are moved to a room. Treatment or further tests may be done at this time. Consultants, including cardiologists, nephrologists, or neurologists, may also be involved in your care, if required. Then, depending on how sick you are, you may be discharged or admitted to the hospital," says Chu.

When should you go to the ER?

As the name suggests, an ER is essentially for emergencies that could be fatal or cause permanent disability.

Symptoms that could indicate a life-threatening medical condition and warrant a trip to the ER:

• Sudden inability to see, speak, move, or walk
• Pain in the jaw, arm, or chest
• Drooping on one side of the body
• High fever
• Coughing or vomiting blood
• Seizures that last over three minutes
• Choking or difficulty breathing
• Severe allergic reaction with swelling, difficulty breathing, or hives

You may also need to go to the ER if you or a loved one have been in an accident or have experienced trauma and require immediate attention.

You should call 911 and have an emergency team or ambulance come right away in the event of:

• Alcohol or drug overdose
• Heavy bleeding, deep wounds
• Inhaled smoke or poisoning
• Head, neck or spine injuries, especially if they are accompanied by a loss of sensation or inability to move
• Electric shocks or severe burns

On the other hand, if you're feeling unwell and need to see a doctor immediately, but it's not an emergency, you can go to your primary care doctor if they have a same-day opening or go to an urgent-care clinic.

Many urgent care clinics are open every day, and you can get treated faster and for a substantially lower cost than at an ER. If your symptoms are mild and you can wait a day, you can also visit your primary care physician during clinic hours.

What to bring to the ER

If possible, you should try to gather some essentials before you go to the ER, to help the ER physicians understand your medical history and any allergies you might have.

"Things that are helpful to bring to the ER include your home medication list, the names of your doctors, any paperwork from recent hospital or doctors' visits, and your insurance information (if you have insurance). For example, if you had a recent heart attack, it may be helpful to bring the paperwork from that admission and what medications you have been taking," says Chu.

You should also try and take a trusted family member or friend along with you to help with paperwork and answer any of the physician's questions, if you are too ill to do so yourself.

If you're not going to the ER under acute circumstances, Chu recommends bringing a book or a phone charger, since you could be waiting a long time.

What is the cost of an ER visit?

The cost of your ER visit will depend on the tests conducted, medication and treatment provided, and your health insurance coverage, says Chu. This can vary from hospital to hospital. "One hospital may charge you $30 for a medicine while another may charge you $300," he says. This variation in cost can be due to several factors. For example, larger hospitals, teaching hospitals, or hospitals that provide highly specialized services may charge considerably higher fees.

The average cost of an ER visit is around $1,500. Sprains, which are among the top causes for ER visits, could cost around $1,100, whereas treating a kidney stone could cost around $3,500. If you have insurance, it may help cover some of this cost, depending on your insurance plan.

Whether your ER visit is covered by insurance can depend on several factors, including whether the hospital or provider are included in the insurance provider's network, says Chu.

"It can also depend on whether your insurance covers certain costs, like an ambulance ride, for example. An ambulance ride that is not covered by insurance can be quite expensive," says Chu. Ambulance rides can range between $224 and $2,204 per transport.

Insider's takeaway

You may need to visit the ER for life-threatening situations. The course of your visit can vary quite a bit depending on your condition. While ERs provide necessary and oftentimes lifesaving services, they can involve long wait times and expensive bills, making urgent care or your primary care provider a better option if the situation isn't an emergency.

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