Patients now face an average of 31 days to see a physician in major U.S. cities, according to a recent AMN Healthcare survey. In 2022, patients waited 26 days and in 2004 only 21 days, showing a steady rise in delays. Wait times differ by doctor type and region, but family doctors see patients a bit sooner—typically in 23.5 days—while specialists keep patients waiting even longer.
Specialists Come With Even Longer Delays
Patients hoping to see an obstetrician or gynecologist wait an average of 42 days, marking a 33% increase since 2022 and 79% more than in 2004. Gastroenterologist appointments average 40 days, while cardiologist visits require a 33-day wait. Boston tops the list, with patients often waiting more than two months for an appointment, while Atlanta offers the shortest wait at 13 days.
Rural Patients Struggle Most
The survey found that patients outside major metropolitan areas face even longer delays. Many rural Americans wait far past the national average, raising serious concerns about healthcare access.
Doctor Shortages Make Delays Worse
AMN Healthcare’s Physician Solutions president, Leah Grant, explains that the growing delay is a warning sign. She connects longer wait times to a worsening physician shortage and points out that these lengthy waits demand urgent attention. “Longer physician appointment wait times are a significant indicator that the nation is experiencing a growing shortage of physicians,” Grant said in a statement accompanying the survey.
Patients Seek Care Elsewhere
Urgent care clinics, not primary care offices, now provide much of the timely medical attention patients crave. While this approach delivers faster service, it limits opportunities to build lasting relationships with family doctors, which can help manage health issues effectively over time. “It’s a sobering sign for the rest of the country when even patients in large cities must wait weeks to see a physician,” Grant said.
Ripley Hollister, MD, of The Physicians Foundation, argues that increasing spending on primary care helps control overall health costs. Hollister credits easy access to primary care with preventing expensive emergencies and keeping patients healthier. “Spending more on primary care actually reduces healthcare total costs,” Hollister said. “And I think it’s clear that that has to do with access. It has to do with people getting in the door to primary care and primary care being able to then, in an inexpensive way, manage the issue.”
