Patients are experiencing longer wait times before seeing physicians, including specialists, with the longest waits in Boston, according to a new report from Merritt Hawkins.
The national physician search and consulting firm surveyed 1,399 medical offices to track wait times in 15 large metropolitan areas. On average, it took 72 days to see a dermatologist, 66 days to see a family physician, 46 days to see an OB/GYN, 27 days to see a cardiologist and 16 days to see an orthopedic surgeon in Boston. On average, it takes 45 days to schedule a physician appointment in the Boston area.
These findings are particularly significant since the national healthcare overhaul was based on the healthcare reform in Massachusetts enacted in the early 2000s. Boston has had the longest wait times since Merritt Hawkins began releasing the survey in 2004.
However, Boston also had the highest rate of Medicaid accepted at 73 percent while the city with the shortest wait time — Dallas — had the lowest Medicaid acceptance rate at 23 percent. The average Medicaid acceptance rate for all specialties examined in all markets was 45.7 percent.
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