Doctor Wait Times Average One Month In U.S.
Patients are waiting an average of 31 days to schedule an appointment with a doctor, according to a study of commonly used specialty physicians in 15 major U.S. cities.
This year's report by AMN Healthcare shows a 19% increase from 2022 when patients waited an average of 26 days in major U.S. cities. The 2025 survey polled more than 1,300 physician offices looking at average wait time among six specialties: obstetrics/gynecology, cardiology, orthopedic surgery, dermatology, gastroenterology, and family medicine.
The report is also a snapshot into the nation's doctor shortage even in urban areas that are considered better staffed with physicians than rural areas. A report last month by the consulting firm Avalere commissioned by the Physicians Advocacy Institute said the number of independent physicians in rural areas fell 43% between January 2019 and January 2024.
And the Association of American Medical Colleges says the United States will face a physician shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, according to a report the group released last year.
AMN Healthcare said the metropolitan areas that made up the survey sampling have 'some of the highest physician-to-population ratios in the country.'
'It's a sobering sign for the rest of the country when even patients in large cities must wait weeks to see a physician,' said Leah Grant, president of AMN Healthcare's Physician Solutions division, formerly known as Merritt Hawkins.
The increasing time to schedule an appointment comes as more Americans get health insurance and health systems and plans report pent up demand for physician services in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
'Average physician appointment wait times are the longest they have been since we began conducting the survey in 2004,' Grant said. 'Longer physician appointment wait times are a significant indicator that the nation is experiencing a growing shortage of physicians.'
Here the wait times for the six specialists analyzed for the report.
The AMN Healthcare survey includes data from 1,391 physician offices located in 15 metropolitan areas, including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minnesota, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
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