This report presents a survey, conducted by Merritt Hawkins and Associates, a health care consulting firm specializing in health care professional recruiting.  The survey found that wait times for physician appointments have increased 8.6 days since 2004.  The survey measured wait times for family medicine, cardiology, dermatology, obstetrics, and orthopedic surgery in 15 U.S. cities and found that the average wait time is now 20.5 days.  Wait times in Boston were longest, averaging 49.6 days, while Atlanta had the lowest average wait time at 11.2 days. 

From the report:

The 2009 Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times was conducted to determine the average time new patients must wait before they can see a physician in a variety of large metropolitan markets. The survey also examines the percentage of physicians willing or able to schedule Medicaid patients. The survey is intended to gauge patient access to medical services and may be taken by healthcare professionals as one indicator of the current state of physician supply and demand in select markets and in select medical specialties. This is the second time Merritt Hawkins & Associates has conducted this survey. The first Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times was conducted in 2004. Comparisons to 2004 results are included in this survey where appropriate.

Full Report: 2009 Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times (PDF | 489.59 KB)  

Merritt Hawkins and Associates. (2009). 2009 survey of physician appointment wait times.