August 7th, 2008

Reports Bloomberg:

“Emergency-room patients in the U.S. wait almost an hour to get treatment as hospitals feel the strain of handling more poor and elderly clients, according to the latest government statistics.

The average wait increased by almost half, to 56 minutes in 2006 from 38 minutes a decade earlier, according to a report published today by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More Americans than before use emergency rooms as their first stop for health care, instead of making an appointment at a doctor’s office, the report said.”