About ERcost.com

Why I built this

As a mom with young kids, I’ve been to the ER more times than I’d like. It was never by choice - my kids got sick and every urgent care nearby was already closed, usually on a weekend night. Sitting in a waiting room for hours with a fussy, miserable child is one of the most stressful experiences a parent can have.

Then the bill arrives, and the stress doubles. I started wishing I had known two things before walking through those ER doors: how long will we actually wait? and how much is this going to cost?

That’s why I built ERcost.com. The site collects ER wait-time data and ER visit cost data so families like mine can compare their options before they go. If two ERs are ten minutes apart but one has a two-hour shorter wait or costs significantly less, that’s information worth having - especially at 11 p.m. with a sick kid in the back seat.

Help each other out

Official data only goes so far. If you’ve recently visited an ER, I welcome you to report your wait time. Every submission helps another parent, another family, make a more informed choice on the worst kind of night. The more people share, the more useful this becomes for all of us.

ERcost.com does not provide medical advice and does not guarantee wait times or final bills. Its purpose is to make source-labeled emergency-room information easier to compare before and after a visit.