LOSING THE WAITING GAME
BY STEVE BARRETT
A 2017 STUDY by Merritt Hawkins found
average wait times for an initial appoint-
ment have increased signifi cantly in recent
years, at least for the 15 major and 15 mid-
size metropolitan areas the hea lthcare
search and consulting fi rm included.
Researchers focused on cardiology, fam-
ily medicine, dermatology, OB-GYN and
orthopedic surgery.
Among their fi ndings:
+
In major ma rket s, wa it ti mes g rew
by a n average of 30 percent — rising
to 24.1 days — since a similar survey
in 2014.
+
Mid-size markets saw greater increases:
Average wait time was 32 days.
+
Boston, a major metropolita n ma rket,
had the longest appointment wait time
at 52.4 days. Among mid-size markets,
Ya k i ma , Wa sh i n g ton, led t he pa ck
at 48.8 days.
+
Da lla s' 14.8-day wa iting period wa s
the lowest a mong major ma rkets.
+
Billings, Monta na's 10.8 days was the
shor test a mong mid-size ma rkets.
+
For fa m i ly me d ici ne s p e ci f ic a l ly,
s e ei n g a phy s i c i a n t o ok a n a v e r -
a g e o f 2 9 d a y s i n l a r g e m a r k e t s
a nd 56. 3 days in mid-size ma rkets.
Patients in A lba ny, New York, wa ited
the longest overa ll: 122 days. The wait
was seven days in Billings. n
IF YOUR NE W PATIENTS ARE E XPRESSING FRUSTR ATION WITH THE
SCHEDULING PROCESS FOR THEIR FIRST APPOINTMENT, IT MAY
BE A SIGN OF MORE THAN THE USUAL IMPATIENCE A SSOCIATED
WITH WAITING.
CORE
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