Framingham, Mass. – June 24, 2026: Nobody wants to visit an emergency room, but when a medical emergency happens, every minute matters. At MetroWest Medical Center, patients are spending less total time in the emergency department, based on the most recent 2025 data available from the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA).

CHIA data compares hospitals based on median length of stay for outpatient emergency department visits, a key measure of how efficiently patients move through the emergency department and receive care. Hospitals are required to report this information to the state, helping ensure consistent and transparent comparisons.  According to CHIA’s 2025 data, MetroWest Medical Center’s emergency department has shorter median visit times than several other hospitals in the MetroWest region.

“Helping patients move through the ER more quickly is a daily focus for our team,” said Greg McFarland, MetroWest Medical Center’s Chief Executive Officer. “CHIA data shows we’re making meaningful progress in reducing overall ER visit times, thanks to strong teamwork, improved coordination, and a continued focus on putting patients first. It means patients are getting the care they need more quickly and getting home sooner, which is always our goal.” 

MetroWest Medical Center’s emergency department is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is staffed by board-certified emergency medicine physicians, highly trained nurses, and support teams equipped with advanced technology. 

Common reasons for seeking emergency care include

• Chest pain
• Severe stomach pain
• Persistent vomiting or dehydration
• Trouble breathing
• Sudden confusion
• Sudden confusion
• Injuries from accidents, falls, or trauma

For more information about MetroWest Medical Center’s emergency services visit www.mwmc.com/services/emergency-room. 

About MetroWest Medical Center  

MetroWest Medical Center is a teaching community health care system serving the greater MetroWest region of Massachusetts. For more than 125 years, the hospital has provided services in two locations: Framingham Union Hospital, a full-service acute care hospital in Framingham, and Leonard Morse Hospital, a behavioral health facility in Natick.  MetroWest Medical Center is committed to meeting the health care needs of the area residents by providing advanced medicine and personalized care, right in the local community. In 2023, Healthgrades® named MetroWest Medical Center one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention Award™, which puts MetroWest Medical Center in the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for Coronary Intervention. In 2024, MetroWest Medical Center was awarded a 5-Star Recipient for Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism by Healthgrades®. To learn more, visit www.mwmc.com.