392 The Waiting Game: Emergency Department Boarding and Its Financial Costs for Patients, Hospitals, and Clinicians

Abstract

Emergency departments (EDs) have experienced increased patient boarding even before the pandemic which has led to significant challenges for both patients and clinicians. The COVID pandemic has only exacerbated ED crowding despite reduced ED volumes nationally. ED boarding has been erroneously attributed to inefficient ED practices but is often largely the result of hospital and systemic inefficiencies. While ED boarding is not solely an ED problem, the financial impact of boarding on the ED can be significant and the cost of ED crowding is often largely borne by already overburdened EDs.