It is difficult to make a doctor's appointment in America because over 71,000 doctors have left the practice of medicine since the Pandemic.
A study by ECG Management Consultants (a subsidiary of Siemens) surveyed 3,712 doctors' offices across America and found that the average wait time to schedule an appointment is 38 days.
Wait times vary dramatically by Specialty (from least to greatest):
--Orthopedic Surgery 20 days
--General Surgery 22 days
--Pediatrics 24 days
--Family Practice 29 days
--Ob/Gyn 37 days
--Cardiology 39 days
--Dermatology 40 days
--Gastroenterology 48 days
--Neurology and Rheumatology 60+ days
Wait times also vary by Metro Area (from least to greatest)
--Houston 27 days
--New York City 28 days
--Phoenix 31 days
--Dallas - Fort Worth 32 days
--Philadelphia 36 days
--Washington DC 36 days
--Chicago 39 days
--San Diego 41 days
--Seattle 44 days
--Minneapolis - St. Paul 45 days
--Boston 70 days!!
Making a doctor's appointment in America is hard. Be prepared to make a lot of phone calls. Don't give up after just one or two calls if you cannot find an appointment time you like. You may need to make five or 10 calls.
Sources at AHealthcareZ YouTube Channel.
Although the total number of physicians has grown many are not in clinical practice, retired early, or have become specialists, reducing the number of primary care physicians. Adding to this bottleneck is that many insurance plans (HMOs and Medicare Advantage) require prior authorizations from their PCP physician. This creates an increase in requests for appointments from PCP ( A VISIT). More physicians retire early or transfer to administrative positions.
Adding to delays is a shortage of physicians in rural areas.
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