Four things to know about emergency medical care
Globally, more people than ever are seeking care in emergency departments, which is exactly what you should do if you’re experiencing a medical emergency.
In order to best prioritize and care for patients, emergency department (ED) physicians and care teams are innovating and changing the way care is delivered. If you haven’t been to an ED in a few years, your experience might be different now than it was before.
One thing is the same: If you feel that you—or a loved one—are experiencing a medical emergency, go to an ED or call 911. Serious burns and injuries, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and sudden confusion, weakness, or vision changes are all reasons to go to the ED. Babies under 90 days old and people who are pregnant or have an underlying health condition might need emergency care for symptoms that could otherwise seem mild, like diarrhea or a low fever. Learn more about when you should consider emergency department care vs. other options.
“Rely on your personal experience when determining what is an emergency,” said Mike Fasbender, nurse manager with M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital emergency department. “You know your body and what’s normal for you better than anyone else ever will. If a headache, abdominal pain, or depressive thoughts feel unusual or concerning to you, you should go to an emergency department.”
We asked emergency department experts like Fasbender what to know about getting emergency care.
More people are using EDs.
Several factors are leading to the increased demand—and longer wait times—for emergency department care nationwide, including:
- An aging population and an increase in chronic health conditions.
- Delayed care during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to more severe issues.
- Reduced funding for step-down care programs, such as rehabilitation centers.
- Perceived difficulty getting a primary care appointment.
Medical teams have long known that ED overcrowding can have a hospital-wide ripple effect, so they’ve rolled out new approaches to deal with these new challenges. In 2023, M Health Fairview emergency departments saw 371,673 patient arrivals. Already in 2025, we've had 169,046.
The triage process.
Everyone who arrives at an ED for care gets triaged. This is a process that helps the staff prioritize people who are experiencing the most severe health emergencies. Triage starts with a quick determination of severity of your symptoms on a 1 to 5 scale. A score of 1 is given to people in immediate need of life-saving care, such as having a blocked airway or clear signs of a heart attack or stroke. Most people fall in the 3 range, which usually means that they can walk or sit up. That can include symptoms of appendicitis or a kidney infection.
A common belief is that if you call ahead, go to urgent care first, or arrive by ambulance, you can skip triage and go straight to an exam room. But everyone must go through the emergency triage process.
Care in a chair.
Long wait times aren't due to lack of staff, but lack of available beds in the emergency department and hospital capacity. To address increased volume at our EDs, M Health Fairview has added observation units for people who need to be monitored for up to 24 hours. We have also expanded our EDs to help accommodate the growing number of people receiving care.
Another approach is to skip the rooming process. About 35 to 40% of people who arrive at an ED don’t have symptoms that require a room or bed. To get them care faster, our ED teams may send those patients to a designated area to get an initial assessment or await test results.
“It’s not because we don’t want to offer people a room,” said John Houghland, MD, emergency medicine physician at M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital. “And it doesn’t mean you don’t need to be there. We do this to reduce wait times and to ensure you get the health answers and treatment you need quickly.”
You have other same-day care options.
M Health Fairview has several same-day care options. The one that’s right for you depends on several factors, including your age, chronic conditions, and the type of treatment you’re likely to need.
Consider non-emergency care options if your symptoms feel mild, like you could wait to get care, or if they are similar to something you’ve had before. For example, if you’re prone to urinary tract infections and feel the same strong urge to urinate or a burning sensation, your primary care provider might be able to help you with a virtual visit or eVisit. Don't use virtual care for serious concerns like chest pain or shortness of breath. You will need to be seen in-person.
If your symptoms don't feel like an emergency, but you do need same-day care, other care options might reduce your wait time and save you money.
- Call your primary care provider’s office.
- Go to an urgent care. We also list urgent care wait times on our website.
- Call 1-855-324-7843 and ask for the Nurse Triage Line to speak to a nurse about your concerns or ask about same-day primary care appointments.
If you have ongoing health conditions or need medications, it’s best to find a primary care provider who you trust.
“In emergency departments, our specialty is to care for critically ill patients and to rule out life-threatening conditions,” Houghland said. “But we won’t always have an answer for what’s causing your symptoms—primary care providers are best equipped to care for you in the next phases of care and over the long term.”
