Patient satisfaction did not change despite longer wait times in American hospital emergency rooms, according to healthcare improvement company Press Ganey.

Their research indicates that nationwide, wait times increased 31 minutes between 2002 to 2009. Last year, a typical emergency room trip required waiting four hours and seven minutes.

It's believed that maintaining patient satisfaction is important to a person's overall health. Health insurance companies may ultimately end up saving too, if patients don't put off care and allow their condition to worsen.

"Improving patient satisfaction is not just about making patients happy, it is about improving the patient experience for the overall good of healthcare," says Press Ganey CEO Rick Siegrist. "Satisfied patients are more likely to disclose information and follow treatment plans. They also are more likely to seek care when they need it, avoiding larger health issues in the future.

A report from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that there were over 119 million emergency room visits made in 2006. Just under 40 percent of those visits were paid for by private health insurance plans. Medicaid and Medicare were also commonly used to pay for treatment. NCHS data shows that less than 18 percent of patients used emergency room services without some form of health insurance.