Wait at Home

The Wait at Home option provides an estimated time of arrival if you are planning to come to our Emergency Department for a non-life-threatening issue. The estimate takes into account the current wait time in the Emergency Department, enabling you to wait in a more comfortable location with less exposure to others rather than in the waiting room. This option currently is available only at our Emergency Department in Bay City, however, we may expand it to other Emergency Departments if the program is well-received.

Do NOT Wait at Home if you are having a life threatening emergency, such as heart attack, stroke, major trauma, head injuries, or severe bleeding. For severe emergencies, immediately dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

We see patients in order of severity, so your estimated wait time may change if higher severity patients arrive while you’re waiting. This is true regardless of whether you are waiting at home or in the emergency department. When you arrive, you will go through registration and triage. Our trackboard enables staff to see how long you have already waited so that we can triage you according to the severity of your condition and how long you have waited. We will make every effort to see you as close to your estimated arrival time as possible while still following triage guidelines.

If you change your mind after using Wait at Home (for example, if you are feeling better or decide to go someplace else) kindly let us know by logging into your MyChart account to cancel the visit or by calling the Emergency Department.