CDC: Emergency room visits reach record high

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WPVI) -- America's hospital emergency rooms are busier than ever.

New statistics from the Center for Disease Control show they had a record high of 145-million patients in 2016 - up nearly 10 million from a year earlier.

Despite the increase in visits, the number of non-urgent cases dropped.

It went from 5.5% in 2015 to 4.3% in 2016.

Wait times are also dropping, with more than a third waiting less than 15 minutes.

Nearly three-quarters of those in E-Rs got care within an hour.

Patients age 15 or younger made up nearly 20% of the emergency room visits, higher than the rate for senior citizens.