A new service called “ER Texting” lets you send a text message to 4ER411 and get a report on the expected wait times at nearby emergency rooms.

You get to see a doctor faster and the hospitals get to advertise their services. The increased transparency could even make hospitals compete on having shorter waiting times. It also helps the hospitals manage their load balancing.

The service currently has hospitals signed up in Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

ER Texting [Official Site]
Hospitals Embrace Text Messaging of Emergency Room Wait Times [Press Release via Gizmodo]

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