Nationally, one-fourth of patients admitted to the hospital from the emergency department have to wait 4 hours or more for a bed during nonpeak months.

While 8,000 65-year-olds sign up for Medicare every day, they use emergency departments at about the same rate as those in the 50- to 60-year-old age group. That changes with advancing age: ...

A nurse talked to a patient in an emergency department hallway at Salem Hospital in Salem, Ore., on Aug. 20, 2021. Andrew Selsky/Associated Press ...