Quick Health Doctors

 

It may be more challenging than usual right now. The average wait for an appointment with a physician for new patients is 26 days, according to a 2022 survey of 15 metropolitan areas by the physician recruiting firm Merritt Hawkins. That’s the longest it’s been since the company began doing the survey in 2004. In addition, 22 percent of adults age 65 or older waited six days or more for a quick health doctors appointment when they were sick, according to a 2021 survey of 11 high-income countries by the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund. Only Canada had a higher percentage of long waits.

One of several likely reasons is that the number of doctors leaving the workplace is increasing without enough new ones to replace them. A poll of more than 600 medical groups, released last year by the Medical Group Management Association, found that 40 percent reported they had a doctor leave or retire early—due to burnout.

And the shortfall of doctors is only projected to grow, especially for those in primary care. There, we may see a deficit of up to 48,000 doctors by 2034, the Association of American Medical Colleges says. "It’s very concerning for older adults," says Terry Fulmer, RN, PhD, president of the John A. Hartford Foundation in New York City, which works to improve care for older adults. Many "need primary care to stay on top of any kind of chronic disease."