Despite years of efforts to improve efficiency and access, wait times to see a doctor have only gotten worse, amid a shortage of physicians in almost every specialty.
One survey found the average time to secure a new-patient appointment is approaching one month in 15 of the largest cities in the U.S., and another survey found more than a third of Medicare patients are waiting more than a month to see a doctor.
At least half of patients report experiencing “operational friction”—long hold times on the phone to reach a scheduler, difficulty getting a timely appointment and trouble accessing follow-up information, according to surveys from patient-experience firm Press Ganey.
Patients complain of endless time in the waiting room and little face time with the doctor once in the exam room. Digital patient portals—which are supposed to help make scheduling, follow-up and communication easier—have been hard to navigate for both patients and physicians.
“People are almost expecting it to be an ordeal every time they need to make a doctor’s appointment,” says Dr. Thomas Lee, chief medical officer at Press Ganey and an internist and cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
“It’s a perfect storm of factors leading to people asking, ‘Can I trust this system to take care of me?’ ”
One of the biggest reasons for the frustrating waits is a shortage of doctors across the country—making it tougher to get an appointment and increasing the amount of time wasted in office waiting rooms.
Federal data show the U.S. is short 12,945 primary-care practitioners, indicating that less than half of primary-care needs are being met.
And while the rate of total clinicians in primary care including nurse practitioners and physician assistants has grown, the workforce isn’t growing fast enough to meet needs, according to a recent report from the nonprofit Milbank Memorial Fund.
According to the American Medical Association, plummeting Medicare-payment rates for doctors over the past two decades have pushed many independent physician practices toward financial ruin, while burnout has driven doctors out of the field or led them to cut hours.
The number of doctors who say they will accept new Medicare patients has fallen. Some doctors are shifting to concierge practices, charging annual fees for membership that puts their care out of reach of many patients.
The AMA estimates more than 83 million people in the U.S. live in areas without sufficient access to a primary-care doctor, and many specialists are in short supply as well. A large portion of doctors are nearing retirement.
The Health Resources and Services Administration Administration projects a shortage of close to 140,000 doctors in primary and specialty care in 2036.
The Association of American Medical Colleges recently released a more optimistic shortfall of 86,000 doctors, based on hypothetical future growth in spending on medical residency positions, which isn’t ensured.
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2wSounds like you have to talk to Mario Amaro, MD at Ease!