Sagaidak S, Rowe BH, Ospina MB, et al. - In this population-based retrospective cohort study, researchers intended to determine if there is a connection between the crowding metric time to physician initial assessment (PIA) and outcomes for children presenting for acute asthma. All presentations to 18 high-volume emergency departments (EDs) were made during 2010–2014 in Alberta, Canada. Physician claims and hospitalizations data have been linked for children (2–17 years of age) presenting for asthma. For asthma, 25,383 presentations (16,053 children) were made. Increased time for physician initial assessment negatively affects short-term results in patients with less severe presentations to a greater degree for children presenting with EDs for asthma than those who are most severe. Care to patients with asthma is delayed when EDs experience increased crowding. There is a growing need for innovative approaches to minimize crowding and delays in treatment.