Medical emergency?Emergency? Call 911. Nearest emergency roomsNearest ERs

Español Near me My list Help
US Patient GuideUSA
Surprise me
Emergency rooms · Tennessee

ER Wait Times in Tennessee: 90 Hospitals Compared

90 hospitals in Tennessee report how long their emergency room patients stay. The middle value here is 161 minutes; national (Medicare): 162 minutes.

In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Do not drive farther to save a few minutes: these are averages of past visits, and the sickest patients are always seen first.

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 Tennessee, 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.

ER wait times in Tennessee
#HospitalCityMedian time in the ERLeft without being seenER volume
1 Highpoint Health-Trousdale With Ascension Saint Hartsville 73 min (1 h 13 min) 0% Low (under 20,000)
2 Stones River Hospital Woodbury 86 min (1 h 26 min) Not reported —
3 Highpoint Health-Riverview With Ascension Saint TH… Carthage 94 min (1 h 34 min) 0% Low (under 20,000)
4 Erlanger Bledsoe Hospital Pikeville 96 min (1 h 36 min) 1% Low (under 20,000)
5 Hancock County Hospital Sneedville 104 min (1 h 44 min) 0% Low (under 20,000)
6 Dekalb Community Hospital Smithville 108 min (1 h 48 min) Not reported —
6 Macon Community Hospital Lafayette 108 min (1 h 48 min) 2% Low (under 20,000)
8 Houston County Community Hospital Erin 111 min (1 h 51 min)† 1% Low (under 20,000)
8 Parkridge Medical Center Chattanooga 111 min (1 h 51 min) 1% Very high (60,000 or more)
10 Hawkins County Memorial Hospital Rogersville 113 min (1 h 53 min) 0% Low (under 20,000)
11 Livingston Regional Hospital Livingston 114 min (1 h 54 min) 3% Low (under 20,000)
12 Lauderdale Community Hospital Ripley 115 min (1 h 55 min) Not reported —
12 Tristar Centennial Medical Center Nashville 115 min (1 h 55 min) 1% Very high (60,000 or more)
14 Tristar Horizon Medical Center Dickson 116 min (1 h 56 min) 0% High (40,000–59,999)
15 Baptist Memorial Hospital - Carroll County Huntingdon 119 min (1 h 59 min) 1% Low (under 20,000)
15 Tristar Southern Hills Medical Center Nashville 119 min (1 h 59 min) 0% High (40,000–59,999)
17 Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Pulaski Pulaski 120 min (2 h) 1% Low (under 20,000)
18 Marshall Medical Center Lewisburg 121 min (2 h 1 min) 1% Low (under 20,000)
19 Metro Nashville General Hospital Nashville 125 min (2 h 5 min) 1% Medium (20,000–39,999)
19 Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital Shelbyville 125 min (2 h 5 min) 0% Medium (20,000–39,999)
21 Claiborne Medical Center Tazewell 126 min (2 h 6 min) 2% Low (under 20,000)
21 Haywood County Community Hospital Brownsville 126 min (2 h 6 min)† 0% Low (under 20,000)
23 Ascension Saint Thomas Three Rivers Waverly 127 min (2 h 7 min) 2% Low (under 20,000)
24 Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Lawrence… Lawrenceburg 129 min (2 h 9 min) 1% Low (under 20,000)
25 Lincoln Medical Center Fayetteville 130 min (2 h 10 min) 1% Low (under 20,000)
26 Johnson County Community Hospital Mountain City 131 min (2 h 11 min) 1% Low (under 20,000)
27 Unity Medical Center Manchester 132 min (2 h 12 min) 2% Low (under 20,000)
28 West Tennessee Healthcare Bolivar Hospital Bolivar 134 min (2 h 14 min) 1% Low (under 20,000)
29 Indian Path Community Hospital Kingsport 136 min (2 h 16 min) 0% Medium (20,000–39,999)
30 Baptist Memorial Hospital Union City Union City 139 min (2 h 19 min) 0% Low (under 20,000)
31 West Tennessee Healthcare Camden Hospital Camden 140 min (2 h 20 min) 1% Low (under 20,000)
32 Sycamore Shoals Hospital Elizabethton 142 min (2 h 22 min) 1% Low (under 20,000)
32 Tristar Northcrest Medical Center Springfield 142 min (2 h 22 min) 0% Medium (20,000–39,999)
34 Highpoint Health-Sumner With Ascension Saint Thoma… Gallatin 144 min (2 h 24 min) 1% High (40,000–59,999)
35 Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Winchest… Winchester 145 min (2 h 25 min) 1% Low (under 20,000)
35 Tristar Summit Medical Center Hermitage 145 min (2 h 25 min) 0% Very high (60,000 or more)
37 Lafollette Medical Center La Follette 147 min (2 h 27 min) 1% Low (under 20,000)
38 Starr Regional Medical Center Athens Athens 148 min (2 h 28 min) 2% Medium (20,000–39,999)
39 Baptist Memorial Hospital Tipton Covington 149 min (2 h 29 min) 1% Medium (20,000–39,999)
40 St Francis Hospital Memphis 150 min (2 h 30 min) 0% High (40,000–59,999)
41 Henderson County Community Hospital Lexington 151 min (2 h 31 min)† 2% Low (under 20,000)
42 Greeneville Community Hospital Greeneville 154 min (2 h 34 min) 1% Medium (20,000–39,999)
43 Hardin Medical Center Savannah 159 min (2 h 39 min) 1% Low (under 20,000)
43 Tristar Hendersonville Medical Center Hendersonville 159 min (2 h 39 min) 1% High (40,000–59,999)
45 West Tennessee Healthcare Milan Hospital Milan 160 min (2 h 40 min) 2% Low (under 20,000)
46 Saint Francis Bartlett Medical Center Bartlett 162 min (2 h 42 min) 0% Medium (20,000–39,999)
46 Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon 162 min (2 h 42 min) 0% Medium (20,000–39,999)
48 Volunteer Community Hospital Martin 163 min (2 h 43 min) 2% Low (under 20,000)
49 Saint Thomas Hickman Hospital Centerville 167 min (2 h 47 min) 1% Low (under 20,000)
49 Saint Thomas Highlands Hospital Sparta 167 min (2 h 47 min) Not reported —
51 Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital Tullahoma 168 min (2 h 48 min) 1% Medium (20,000–39,999)
52 Erlanger Medical Center Chattanooga 169 min (2 h 49 min) 2% Very high (60,000 or more)
53 Big South Fork Medical Center Oneida 170 min (2 h 50 min) 2% Low (under 20,000)
53 Fort Loudoun Medical Center Lenoir City 170 min (2 h 50 min) 2% Medium (20,000–39,999)
53 Rhea Medical Center Dayton 170 min (2 h 50 min) 3% Low (under 20,000)
53 Tennova Healthcare-Jefferson Memorial Hospital Jefferson City 170 min (2 h 50 min) 1% Medium (20,000–39,999)
57 Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro 173 min (2 h 53 min) Not reported —
58 Roane Medical Center Harriman 174 min (2 h 54 min) 2% Medium (20,000–39,999)
59 Dyersburg Regional Medical Center Dyersburg 177 min (2 h 57 min) 2% Medium (20,000–39,999)
59 Saint Thomas River Park Hospital McMinnville 177 min (2 h 57 min) Not reported —
61 Franklin Woods Community Hospital Johnson City 178 min (2 h 58 min) 1% Medium (20,000–39,999)
62 Tristar Skyline Medical Center Nashville 180 min (3 h) 1% High (40,000–59,999)
63 Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital Clarksville 181 min (3 h 1 min) 3% Very high (60,000 or more)
64 Baptist Memorial Hospital Memphis 182 min (3 h 2 min) 3% Very high (60,000 or more)
64 Sweetwater Hospital Association Sweetwater 182 min (3 h 2 min) 3% Medium (20,000–39,999)
66 Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge Oak Ridge 186 min (3 h 6 min) 4% Medium (20,000–39,999)
67 Tennova Healthcare - Newport Medical Center Newport 190 min (3 h 10 min) 2% Medium (20,000–39,999)
67 Tristar Stonecrest Medical Center Smyrna 190 min (3 h 10 min) 0% High (40,000–59,999)
67 Williamson Medical Center Franklin 190 min (3 h 10 min) 1% High (40,000–59,999)
70 West Tennessee Healthcare Henry County Hospital Paris 191 min (3 h 11 min) 3% Low (under 20,000)
71 Physicians Regional Medical Center Powell 196 min (3 h 16 min) 3% Medium (20,000–39,999)
71 Wellmont Bristol Regional Medical Center Bristol 196 min (3 h 16 min) 1% High (40,000–59,999)
73 Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Nashville 197 min (3 h 17 min) Not reported —
74 Morristown Hamblen Hospital Association Morristown 198 min (3 h 18 min) 2% High (40,000–59,999)
75 Leconte Medical Center Sevierville 200 min (3 h 20 min) 2% High (40,000–59,999)
76 Affiliate of Vitruvian Health Cleveland 202 min (3 h 22 min) 3% High (40,000–59,999)
77 Cumberland Medical Center Crossville 204 min (3 h 24 min) 5% Medium (20,000–39,999)
77 Wellmont Holston Valley Medical Center Kingsport 204 min (3 h 24 min) 0% High (40,000–59,999)
79 Maury Regional Hospital Columbia 206 min (3 h 26 min) 2% High (40,000–59,999)
80 Memorial Healthcare System, Inc Chattanooga 210 min (3 h 30 min) 3% Very high (60,000 or more)
81 Johnson City Medical Center Johnson City 211 min (3 h 31 min) 1% Very high (60,000 or more)
82 Blount Memorial Hospital Maryville 216 min (3 h 36 min) 2% High (40,000–59,999)
83 Methodist Hospitals of Memphis Memphis 228 min (3 h 48 min) 16% Very high (60,000 or more)
84 Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center Knoxville 234 min (3 h 54 min) 4% High (40,000–59,999)
85 Jackson-Madison County General Hospital Jackson 241 min (4 h 1 min) 4% Very high (60,000 or more)
86 University Health System, Inc Knoxville 249 min (4 h 9 min) 0% Very high (60,000 or more)
87 Parkwest Medical Center Knoxville 259 min (4 h 19 min) 4% High (40,000–59,999)
88 Cookeville Regional Medical Center Cookeville 268 min (4 h 28 min) 1% Medium (20,000–39,999)
89 Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville 269 min (4 h 29 min) 1% Very high (60,000 or more)
90 Regional One Health Memphis 294 min (4 h 54 min) 3% High (40,000–59,999)

† Medicare footnote 3: the result is based on a shorter period than required.

ER wait times by city in Tennessee

Best-rated hospitals in Tennessee ER wait times, every state ERs near me ER or urgent care? Best-rated care by city

Common questions

Which ER in Tennessee has the shortest wait?

In Medicare's data for October 2024 to September 2025, Highpoint Health-Trousdale With Ascension Saint had the shortest median time patients spent in the emergency room before going home: 73 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 Tennessee?

The middle value of the 90 hospitals listed here is 161 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

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.