43-year-old Ron spent Miller waited at UC Health's emergency room for hours before leaving without care. He returned the next day for surgery on his back. Miller's long wait isn't out of the ordinary. The average time patients spent in Cincinnati emergency departments before leaving the visit was almost 3 hours between October 2024 and September 2025, according to new data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. ER workers across the country worry that rising health care costs, a growing number of uninsured people and a sicker patient population will make these visit times even longer. "It really is a crisis," said Dr. Gregory Fermann, chair of emergency medicine at UC Health. "Emergency care is in a tough spot because it is a lot of patients that are trying to seek our services, and we're doing our best to try to meet that need." Read the full story at the link in our bio. (📽️: Esther Launstein/The Enquirer) #cincinnati #cincinnatiohio #emergencyroom #er