Waiting for a Doctor's appointment - it's getting worse!

Long gone are the days of seeing your doctor within a few days.  With the Association of American Medical Colleges projecting a shortage of at least 45,000 primary care doctors in the US by 2020, the wait time for that next appointment will grow even larger.  Throw in the millions of newly insured from the Affordable Care Act, and you are probably looking at weeks to see your doctor.

Average wait times:

- To see a cardiologist, your wait time ranged from a high of 32 days to 11 days in a 2014 survey

- If you want to see an Orthopedic surgeon, you are looking at anywhere from 5 - 18 days

-  Getting into your obstetrician/gynecologist ranged from 10 - 46 days

- To see your skin doctor, you are looking at anywhere from 16 - 72 days depending on where you live

- Seeing your family doctor will take you on average of 19.5 days

**Source http://www.merritthawkins.com/uploadedFiles/MerrittHawkings/Surveys/mha2014waitsurvPDF.pdf

Here are the results published in a July, 2014 NY Times article from a 2013 survey of wait times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/06/sunday-review/long-waits-for-doctors-appointments-have-become-the-norm.html 

Blue indicates an increase in days to see the doctor, Grey indicates no change from a similar survey conducted in 2009.

So can I speed things up?  Follow these ideas:

-  Emphasize urgency - by talking about the severe aspects of what you are experiencing, you might be seen quicker

- Ask about weekend or night time appointments.  Ask the medical facility to contact you if someone cancels their appointment

- Look for a referral - if your doctor already has a working relationship with a specialist, a phone call from the doctor can speed things up

- See a concierge practice (if you can afford it!)

- Bring a family member with you - not everyone is aggressive in asking for a shorter appointment wait.  A family member can advocate on your behalf, especially if you are feeling sick.

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