> Do you really need to go to the ER because you stubbed your toe?

Where else are some people supposed to go? Maybe that toe is starting to change colors… is it broken? Do I need to have it set? Is that possible for toes?

People have valid medical questions and don’t want to wait weeks to see their primary care. They might not live near an urgent care. The urgent care may have terrible hours, or they made the mistake of mentioning chest pain for their heartburn incident and now they are forced to the ER.

It’s a chicken and egg problem. Faster medical answers will lead to reduced ER wait times. Reducing ER wait times lead to faster medical answers.