CaliforniaHealthline reported on some recent survey findings that include some great data on the wait to see a physician for new patients and also whether these physicians accept Medicaid and/or Medicare. Researchers contacted (June-November 2013) 1,399 medical offices that specialize in cardiology, dermatology, family practice, gynecology/obstetrics and orthopedic surgery and asked for the first available appointment for a new patient seeking routine care. Findings include:
- 15 U.S. metropolitan cities in 2013 had to wait an average of 18.5 days to see a doctor, compared with 20.4 days in 2009
- Longest wait times were in Boston, where patients would have to wait an average of 72 days to see a dermatologist and 66 days to see a family physician
- Shortest wait times were in Dallas, where patients would have to wait an average of 10.2 days for all specialists and five days for a family physician.
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About 45.7% of physicians said they would accept Medicaid in 2013, down from 55.4% in 2009.
- Acceptance of Medicaid varied from 73% in Boston to 23% in Dallas.
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About 76% of physicians said they accepted Medicare
The 15 cities with practices included in the survey are:
- Atlanta;
- Boston;
- Dallas;
- Denver;
- Detroit;
- Houston;
- Los Angeles;
- Miami;
- Minneapolis;
- New York City;
- Philadelphia;
- Portland;
- San Diego;
- Seattle; and
- Washington, D.C.
What would really be interesting is to see the wait times by payor. For example, are Medicaid patients waiting longer to get an appointment and if so, by how long?
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