Availability: Vital Emergency · Vital Urgent Care
For each visit step, Vital provides an estimate of how long it will take to progress to the next step, using the best available data. Waiting can be a stressful time; knowing what will happen next and when can help alleviate some of that stress.
Vital displays wait times differently depending on which step a patient is at in their visit. Before a patient is seen by a care team, they see estimated wait times, how long until they will be seen. Once they are being assessed and treated, they see typical care durations, how long patients typically spend receiving care.
Before Assessment: Estimated Wait Times
For the steps before a patient is seen by a care team (e.g., waiting for triage or assessment), Vital displays estimated wait times as clock-based time ranges. These times are calculated at the start of each step and do not change as the visit progresses. If a patient's wait exceeds the estimated range, the messaging updates to acknowledge the delay.
For example, a patient might see:
"We estimate you will be seen by our care team around 1 pm - 2 pm."
"You should be seen by our care team around 2 pm."
"We apologize for the delay"
When predicted waits are very long: rather than showing a very large number that may lead to patients leaving before being seen, Vital displays status messaging instead (e.g., "Wait time may be 2+ hours during busy periods"). This sets realistic expectations while keeping patients informed and engaged in their care. As their wait continues, the messaging updates to acknowledge the extended wait and reassure patients they have not been forgotten.
During Assessment & Treatment: Typical Care Durations
Once a patient has started assessment, Vital displays the predicted time as a typical care duration. Every patient's care journey is unique, patients with the same presenting symptoms can experience vastly different treatment durations depending on test results, eventual diagnosis, and response to treatment. The typical duration framing honestly communicates the range of possibilities while helping patients plan, without setting a hard expectation that does not reflect this variability.
For example, a patient might see: "Patients typically spend 2 to 4 hours receiving care."
Per setting: In Vital Urgent Care, a patient sees the typical care duration once they have been triaged (i.e., while waiting for assessment), with example copy such as "Patients typically spend 30 - 45 mins receiving care." In Vital Emergency, this framing appears once assessment has started.
Estimate Types
Vital calculates two types of wait-time estimate for each patient at each step:
Machine Learning Estimates The most advanced wait time models enable individualized estimates of the time each step in a visit will take. They use artificial intelligence (AI) to predict wait times based on data from the facility related to past visits. Information related to the patient's current visit is also used, such as the patient's reason for visit and their triaged severity. The AI models learn from past events and use the information about the patient that is most likely to improve the prediction.
Static Estimates The most basic wait time estimates apply if Vital does not receive data from a facility about past visits or the current visit that can help improve the estimates. These basic wait times are pre-calculated and do not change based on past visits or the patient's individual circumstances. If Vital does not have a personalized estimate for a facility, static estimates are used as a fallback.
The wait time estimates are based on wait times experienced by patients in the past and are not guaranteed. They are influenced by the current number of patients at the facility and the severity of patients' conditions (high-severity patients are treated as a priority).