ER Wait Times in Arkansas: 65 Hospitals Compared
65 hospitals in Arkansas report how long their emergency room patients stay. The middle value here is 130 minutes; national (Medicare): 162 minutes.
What this time means
Each hospital’s number is Medicare measure OP-18b: the median (middle) time from arriving at the emergency room to leaving it, for patients who were treated and went home. Half of these patients left sooner, half later. It is not the time before seeing a doctor, and it leaves out patients who were admitted to the hospital, transferred, or seen for mental health.
Medicare’s name for the measure: “Average (median) time patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, excluding patients transferred to another facility or psychiatric care/mental health patients. A lower number of minutes is better”. Patients seen October 2024 to September 2025.
Emergency rooms in Arkansas, shortest time first
Ranked by Medicare's median time (OP-18b), shortest first; hospitals with the same time share a rank. Left without being seen: share of ER patients who left before a doctor or nurse saw them (January 2024 to December 2024; national 2%). ER volume: patients per year, as Medicare groups it.
| # | Hospital | City | Median time in the ER | Left without being seen | ER volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baptist Health - Van Buren | Van Buren | 71 min (1 h 11 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 2 | Mercy Hospital Booneville | Booneville | 72 min (1 h 12 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 3 | Mercy Hospital Waldron | Waldron | 73 min (1 h 13 min) | 0% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 4 | Dardanelle Regional Medical Center | Dardanelle | 74 min (1 h 14 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 5 | Dallas County Medical Center | Fordyce | 82 min (1 h 22 min)† | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 5 | Siloam Springs Regional Hospital | Siloam Springs | 82 min (1 h 22 min) | 1% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 7 | Chambers Memorial Hospital | Danville | 90 min (1 h 30 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 7 | Lawrence Memorial Hospital | Walnut Ridge | 90 min (1 h 30 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 9 | Baptist Health Medical Center-Arkadelphia | Arkadelphia | 94 min (1 h 34 min) | 2% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 10 | CHI St Vincent Morrilton | Morrilton | 98 min (1 h 38 min) | 0% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 11 | Baptist Health Medical Center-Hot Springs County | Malvern | 100 min (1 h 40 min) | 2% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 12 | Chicot Memorial Medical Center | Lake Village | 102 min (1 h 42 min)† | 0% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 12 | South Arkansas Regional Hospital LLC | El Dorado | 102 min (1 h 42 min) | 1% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 14 | Unity Health - Newport | Newport | 103 min (1 h 43 min) | 0% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 15 | Crossridge Community Hospital | Wynne | 105 min (1 h 45 min) | 2% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 16 | Ashley County Medical Center | Crossett | 106 min (1 h 46 min) | Not reported | — |
| 16 | Baptist Health Medical Center-Stuttgart | Stuttgart | 106 min (1 h 46 min) | 3% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 18 | Howard Memorial Hospital | Nashville | 109 min (1 h 49 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 18 | Mercy Hospital Ozark | Ozark | 109 min (1 h 49 min) | 2% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 20 | Baptist Health Medical Center Heber Springs | Heber Springs | 110 min (1 h 50 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 21 | Delta Memorial Hospital | Dumas | 112 min (1 h 52 min) | 0% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 22 | Mercy Hospital Berryville | Berryville | 114 min (1 h 54 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 23 | Mercy Hospital Paris | Paris | 118 min (1 h 58 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 23 | Piggott Community Hospital | Piggott | 118 min (1 h 58 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 23 | Stone County Medical Center | Mountain View | 118 min (1 h 58 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 26 | Baptist Health Medical Center-Drew County | Monticello | 122 min (2 h 2 min) | 4% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 27 | Baptist Health - Fort Smith | Fort Smith | 124 min (2 h 4 min) | 2% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 28 | Bradley County Medical Center | Warren | 126 min (2 h 6 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 28 | Northwest Medical Center-Springdale | Springdale | 126 min (2 h 6 min) | 1% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 30 | Baptist Memorial Hospital Jonesboro, Inc. | Jonesboro | 128 min (2 h 8 min) | 0% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 30 | St Vincent Medical Center/North | Sherwood | 128 min (2 h 8 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 32 | Izard Regional Hospital LLC | Calico Rock | 129 min (2 h 9 min) | 0% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 33 | Great River Medical Center | Blytheville | 130 min (2 h 10 min) | 3% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 33 | Unity Health - Jacksonville | Jacksonville | 130 min (2 h 10 min) | 5% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 35 | Ozark Health | Clinton | 132 min (2 h 12 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 36 | Mena Regional Health System | Mena | 134 min (2 h 14 min)† | 5% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 36 | White River Medical Center | Batesville | 134 min (2 h 14 min) | 2% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 38 | Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden, Inc | West Memphis | 139 min (2 h 19 min) | 4% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 39 | Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock | Little Rock | 140 min (2 h 20 min) | 2% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 40 | McGehee Hospital | McGehee | 142 min (2 h 22 min)† | 0% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 40 | Ouachita County Medical Center | Camden | 142 min (2 h 22 min) | 3% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 42 | Johnson Regional Medical Center | Clarksville | 143 min (2 h 23 min) | 2% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 43 | Baptist Health Medical Center- Conway | Conway | 145 min (2 h 25 min) | 2% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 44 | North Arkansas Regional Medical Center | Harrison | 149 min (2 h 29 min) | 4% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 45 | Arkansas Surgical Hospital | No Little Rock | 150 min (2 h 30 min) | Not reported | — |
| 45 | Forrest City Medical Center | Forrest City | 150 min (2 h 30 min) | 2% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 47 | National Park Medical Center | Hot Springs | 153 min (2 h 33 min) | 1% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 48 | St Marys Regional Medical Center | Russellville | 156 min (2 h 36 min) | 3% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 49 | Saline Memorial Hospital | Benton | 158 min (2 h 38 min) | 1% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 50 | Little River Memorial Hospital | Ashdown | 160 min (2 h 40 min) | 3% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 51 | Arkansas Methodist Medical Center | Paragould | 165 min (2 h 45 min) | 4% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 51 | Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas | Rogers | 165 min (2 h 45 min) | 2% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 53 | Chi-St Vincent Infirmary | Little Rock | 173 min (2 h 53 min) | 1% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 54 | CHI St. Vincent Hospital Hot Springs | Hot Springs | 176 min (2 h 56 min) | 2% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 55 | Conway Regional Medical Center, Inc | Conway | 178 min (2 h 58 min) | 4% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 56 | White County Medical Center | Searcy | 182 min (3 h 2 min) | 5% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 57 | Baxter Health | Mountain Home | 184 min (3 h 4 min) | 3% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 58 | Baptist Health Medical Center North Little Rock | North Little Rock | 186 min (3 h 6 min) | 6% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 59 | Arkansas Heart Hospital-Encore | Bryant | 191 min (3 h 11 min) | 2% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 60 | Jefferson Regional Medical Center | Pine Bluff | 198 min (3 h 18 min) | 4% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 61 | St Bernards Medical Center | Jonesboro | 211 min (3 h 31 min) | 1% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 62 | Washington Regional Medical Center | Fayetteville | 222 min (3 h 42 min) | 1% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 63 | Mercy Hospital Fort Smith | Fort Smith | 228 min (3 h 48 min) | 3% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 64 | Arkansas Heart Hospital, LLC | Little Rock | 238 min (3 h 58 min) | 3% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 65 | University of Arkansas Medical Sciences | Little Rock | 285 min (4 h 45 min) | 5% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
† Medicare footnote 3: the result is based on a shorter period than required.
ER wait times by city in Arkansas
Common questions
Which ER in Arkansas has the shortest wait?
In Medicare's data for October 2024 to September 2025, Baptist Health - Van Buren had the shortest median time patients spent in the emergency room before going home: 71 minutes. This is the total time of the visit, not the time before seeing a doctor, and it is an average of past patients, not a promise for your visit.
What is the average ER wait time in Arkansas?
The middle value of the 65 hospitals listed here is 130 minutes. The national figure published by Medicare is 162 minutes. Each hospital's number is the median time from arriving at the emergency room to leaving it, for patients who were treated and went home.
Should I drive to a farther ER to wait less?
No. In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. These times are past averages; emergency rooms see the sickest patients first, and minutes lost on the road can matter more than minutes in a waiting room.
Does a shorter time mean a better emergency room?
Not by itself. Busier emergency rooms and hospitals that treat more serious cases usually have longer times, so the ER volume is shown next to each time. The time is one measure among many on each hospital’s page.
Sources and dates
- Timely and Effective Care - Hospital — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), data updated July 22, 2026, retrieved October 31, 2026. Times: patients seen October 2024 to September 2025; left without being seen: January 2024 to December 2024.
- Timely and Effective Care - National — CMS, data updated July 22, 2026 (the national figures).
Only open hospitals that list an emergency room and report this time are included. The state and city figures are the median of the hospitals listed, calculated by us from the same CMS hospital file. Wording last revised November 11, 2026. Not medical advice.