facebook tracking Hawaii ER Wait Times 2026: Shortest & Longest of 20 Hospitals

Hawaii ER wait times by hospital

In an emergency, call 911. These are yearly medians, not live wait times. Don't pick an ER from this list when someone needs help now.

According to HospitalsInEachState.com's analysis of the October 2026 CMS release, the median emergency room visit in Hawaii for patients treated and sent home lasts 2 hr 12 min, 17 min shorter than the US median of 2 hr 29 min, across 20 reporting hospitals. Hawaii ranks #15 of 50 states in the HospitalsInEachState.com State ER Wait Rankings, where #1 has the shortest visits. The shortest is at Kula Hospital in Kula (51 min) and the longest at The Queens Medical Center (3 hr 14 min). 9 of 20 come in under two hours and 0 take four hours or more; 12 (60%) are faster than the US median.

CMS data published October 202620 hospitals12-month medians
Hawaii median 2 hr 12 min −17 min vs US US median is 2 hr 29 min
Shortest 51 min Kula Hospital, Kula
Longest 3 hr 14 min The Queens Medical Center, Honolulu
Under 2 hours 9 ERs 0 take 4 hours or more
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Report: Maryland has the longest ER visits: 4 hr at the typical hospital (Nov 13, 2026)

Fastest to slowest ER wait times in Hawaii, by hospital

Times are for patients treated and sent home, not admitted. The bar shows each ER against the slowest in the state; the tick marks the Hawaii median.

How to read this list

Each time is the median for a full year, so half of visits were shorter and half longer. Busy hospitals treat sicker patients, so a longer time is not by itself a mark against a hospital. "Left before seen" is the share of patients who walked out before a clinician saw them. How this measure works.

Showing all 20 hospitals

Hawaii hospitals ranked by median emergency department visit time, CMS measure OP-18b, October 2026
# Hospital Median visit Left before seen ER volume CMS rating
1 Kula HospitalKula 51 min 1 hr 21 min faster Not reported Not reported Not rated
2 Samuel Mahelona Memorial HospitalKapaa 0% left before seen Low volume 1 hr 2 min 1 hr 10 min faster 0% Low Not rated
3 Honoka'a Hospital and Skilled NursingHonokaa 0% left before seen Low volume 1 hr 5 min 1 hr 7 min faster 0% Low Not rated
4 Kauai Veterans Memorial HospitalWaimea 0% left before seen Low volume 1 hr 12 min 1 hr faster 0% Low Not rated
5 Kahuku Medical CenterKahuku 1 hr 18 min 54 min faster Not reported Not reported Not rated
6 Lanai Community HospitalLanai City 1 hr 20 min 52 min faster Not reported Not reported Not rated
7 Kau HospitalPahala 0% left before seen Low volume 1 hr 20 min 52 min faster 0% Low Not rated
8 Kohala HospitalKapaau 1% left before seen Low volume 1 hr 22 min 50 min faster 1% Low Not rated
9 Molokai General HospitalKaunakakai 0% left before seen Low volume 1 hr 27 min 45 min faster 0% Low Not rated
10 Straub Clinic and HospitalHonolulu 0% left before seen Medium volume ★ 4/5 CMS 2 hr 6 min 6 min faster 0% Medium
11 North Hawaii Community HospitalKamuela 1% left before seen Low volume ★ 3/5 CMS 2 hr 17 min 5 min slower 1% Low
12 Maui Memorial Medical CenterWailuku 0% left before seen High volume ★ 2/5 CMS 2 hr 21 min 9 min slower 0% High
13 Hilo Medical CenterHilo 1% left before seen High volume ★ 3/5 CMS 2 hr 35 min 23 min slower 1% High
14 Wilcox Memorial HospitalLihue 2% left before seen Medium volume ★ 2/5 CMS 2 hr 36 min 24 min slower 2% Medium
15 Castle Medical CenterKailua 1% left before seen Medium volume ★ 4/5 CMS 2 hr 36 min 24 min slower 1% Medium
16 Kuakini Medical CenterHonolulu 2% left before seen Low volume ★ 4/5 CMS 2 hr 37 min 25 min slower 2% Low
17 Pali Momi Medical CenterAiea 0% left before seen High volume ★ 4/5 CMS 2 hr 39 min 27 min slower 0% High
18 Kona Community HospitalKealakekua 1% left before seen Medium volume ★ 2/5 CMS 2 hr 47 min 35 min slower 1% Medium
19 Tripler AMC (Ft Shafter)Honolulu 5% left before seen High volume 3 hr 6 min 54 min slower 5% High Not rated
20 The Queens Medical CenterHonolulu 1% left before seen Very high volume ★ 3/5 CMS 3 hr 14 min 1 hr 2 min slower 1% Very high
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Questions about Hawaii ER wait times

Which Hawaii ER has the shortest wait?

Kula Hospital in Kula, with a median visit of 51 min. Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital in Kapaa is next at 1 hr 2 min.

Which Hawaii ER has the longest wait?

The Queens Medical Center, at 3 hr 14 min. The busiest emergency departments tend to have the longest visits because they treat more patients and more complex cases.

How long is the average ER visit in Hawaii?

The median is 2 hr 12 min, 17 min shorter than the US median of 2 hr 29 min. 9 of 20 Hawaii ERs come in under two hours and 0 take four hours or more.

Are these live wait times?

No. They are 12-month medians for patients who were treated and sent home, published by CMS. They show what is typical, not what is happening tonight. In an emergency, call 911.

Why are big hospitals slower?

Low-volume Hawaii ERs have a median visit of 1 hr 21 min. High and very-high-volume ERs come in at 2 hr 39 min. Large hospitals see more patients and sicker ones, and many are trauma centers.

Cite this data

Journalists, researchers and site owners are welcome to quote and chart these figures. They are free to use under CC BY 4.0: please credit HospitalsInEachState.com and link to this page.

Figures as of the October 2026 CMS release Updated automatically when CMS publishes new data Permanent link: hospitalsineachstate.com/er-wait-times/hawaii/

Download the data (CSV) See the State ER Wait Rankings

Source: CMS Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting, measure OP-18b (median time from ED arrival to departure for discharged patients), published October 2026. Updated when CMS publishes new data.

Hospitals with too few cases to report are not listed; they still have a page in the Hawaii hospital directory. Campuses that CMS reports under one facility number appear once. Not affiliated with CMS.