Thursday, June 4, 2009

Wait Times to see Doctors are Getting Longer

A study by Merritt Hawkins and Associates shows that appointment wait times have increased on average by more than a week since the survey was last conducted in 2004.

USA Today reports that, on average, wait times have increased by 8.6 days per city according to the survey. Boston had the longest wait, averaging 49.6 days and the shortest was Atlanta with an 11.2-day wait.

Phil Miller, vice president of public relations for Merritt Hawkins and Associates, says he sees one clear solution to long wait times,

"We need to be training more physicians, particularly primary care physicians. We have been training the same number of doctors for the past 25 years, but a lot has changed in the last quarter-century."

The Wall Street Journal offers more information on the wait lists in Boston to see most specialists.

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