The Physician Shortage: Projections, Causes, and Solutions
Longer Patient Wait Times
The physician shortage is felt by patients in a variety of ways, including longer wait times to schedule a physician appointment.
AMN Healthcare tracks physician appointment wait times through our Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times and Medicare and Medicaid Acceptance Rates, which was first conducted in 2004. The survey examines appointment wait times for five different medical specialties in 15 major metro areas, where the ratio of physicians-per-population is relatively high compared to mid-sized or small communities. The average wait time to schedule a physician appointment is 26 days, according to the 2022 version of the survey (the most recent available), up from 20.9 days in 2004, a 25% increase. Wait times vary by specialty and metro area (see below):
Average Physician Appointment Wait Times By Specialty in 15 Metro Areas/Longest and Shortest Average Wait Times By Metro Area
Average Appointment Wait Time
Average Appointment Wait Time
Specialty
Specialty
Obstetrics/Gynecology
31.4 days
Orthopedic surgery
20.6 days
Philadelphia
59 days
San Diego
55 days
New York
19 days
Washington, D.C.
5 days
Dermatology
34.5 days
Family Medicine
20.6 days
Minneapolis
72 days
Portland
44 days
Philadelphia
9 days
Washington, D.C.
8 days
Cardiology
26.6 days
Portland
49 days
Source: Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times and Medicare and Medicaid Acceptance Rates. AMN Healthcare. 2022.
Dallas
13 days
As the survey indicates, wait times to see a physician can be protracted even in metro areas that have some of the highest ratios of physicians per population in the U.S.
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