INDIANA — When it comes to emergency room visits in Indiana, patients spend an average of two hours and 31 minutes in the department before being discharged or transferred, according to new research.
The findings come from a report published on February 25, 2026, by Roofing SEO Services, which analyzed the latest timely and effective care data from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Measured between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, the data evaluates median times patients spend in emergency departments nationwide, including psychiatric and mental health visits.
Indiana’s average ER stay of 2 hours and 31 minutes sits nine minutes below the national average of two hours and 40 minutes. Additionally, roughly 1 in 50 Indiana patients (2%) leave the emergency room before being seen by a medical provider, aligning with the national walkout rate.
National Highlights: The Best and Worst States for ER Waits
Nationwide, emergency processing times vary dramatically by region, revealing a gap of more than two hours between the fastest and slowest states.
- The Slowest States: Maryland ranks as the worst state for emergency care wait times, with patients spending a median of four hours and 13 minutes in the ER, followed by Massachusetts (3 hours, 49 minutes) and Rhode Island (3.45).
- The Highest Walkout Rates: Delaware has the highest rate of patients giving up before receiving care, with 1 in 20 visitors (5%) leaving without being seen.
- The Fastest States: Hawaii boasts the shortest emergency processing times in the country, averaging just one hour and 53 minutes. North Dakota, Nebraska, and South Dakota also process patients in under two hours.
Top 10 Worst States for ER Time
| Rank | State | Time Spent in ER (Hours: Minutes) | ER Visitors Who Left Before Being Seen (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | 4:13 | 3% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 3:49 | 4% |
| 3 | Rhode Island | 3:45 | 4% |
| 4 | Delaware | 3:43 | 5% |
| 5 | New York | 3:20 | 2% |
| 6 | Connecticut | 3:18 | 2% |
| 7 | North Carolina | 3:15 | 2% |
| 8 | Vermont | 3:11 | 3% |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 3:10 | 2% |
| 10 | New Jersey | 3:09 | 2% |
“What stood out in the data wasn’t the raw waiting times so much as the walkout rates,” said Dr. M. Mansoor Siddique, Director of Roofing SEO Services. “In Delaware, one in every twenty people who turn up at an emergency department leaves again without ever being seen. Those are people who decided the wait wasn’t worth it, and the data has no way of telling us what happened to them next.”
Research data courtesy of Roofing SEO Services and the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
