Appointment wait times in family medicine up 16% since 2009, according to survey

Wait times for family medicine appointments have increased by 16% since 2009, according to a survey by AMN Healthcare.

The survey examined wait times across six specialties (cardiology, dermatology, obstetrics-gynecology, orthopedic surgery, family medicine, and gastroenterology) in 15 different metro areas (Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.).

The average wait for a new patient seeking a physical from a family medicine physician across all metros was 23.5 days, which was down from 2017, but up from 2022. The overall trendline is increasing wait times for family medicine during the years AMN has conducted the survey:

• 2025 — 23.5 days
• 2022 — 20.6 days
• 2017 — 29.3 days
• 2013 — 19.5 days
• 2009 — 20.3 days

Wait times differed substantially by metro area, with patients waiting an average of four days for a family medicine appointment in Miami and New York, and waiting an average of 69 days in Boston.

Every other specialty surveyed reported longer average wait times, except orthopedic surgery, where the average wait across all metro areas was 12 days. The highest wait time was 41.8 days in obstetrics-gynecology for a well-woman gynecological exam.

Researchers attributed the wait time increases to a mismatch in supply and demand, with a patient population that is aging and in more need of care bumping up against a worsening physician shortage. According to data from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) cited in the report, the current shortage is 57,259 physicians (up from about 13,700 in 2010, according to Association of American Medical Colleges data). The HRSA projects that the shortage will grow to 81,180 by 2035.

Researchers also found that patients sometimes find it difficult to schedule appointments due to confusing automated telephones sequences, or answering machines that indicated clinics were not taking calls. Researchers were often directed to online scheduling systems but suggested this may pose an access barrier to those unfamiliar or uncomfortable with navigating the internet.

— Andy Marso, senior editor of FPM

Posted on June 23, 2025 by FPM Editors