Shorter wait times yield better patient experience: 6 findings

Practice Management

The majority of patients wait an average of 19 minutes, 19 seconds for a physician's appointment, based on Vitals' 7th annual physician wait time report. This wait time is a 10 percent decrease from the 21 minutes, 18 seconds wait time averaged in 2009.

Vitals analyzed more than 6 million patient reviews to discover any correlations between star ratings and wait times.

 

Here are six findings:

 

1. Patients tend to display frustration after 20 minutes of waiting.

 

2. The report found five-star rated physicians had an average wait time of 13 minutes.

 

3. Physicians with one star had an average wait time of 33 minutes.

 

4. As for specialties, radiation oncology boasted the shortest wait time with 12 minutes, 29 seconds. Spine surgeons ranked last, with an average wait time of 29 minutes, 34 seconds.

 

5. Wait times varied based on cities, as well. Seattle topped the list with the shortest wait time of 12 minutes, 47 seconds. El Paso ranked last, with an average wait time of 25 minutes, five seconds.

 

6. New Hampshire offers the shortest wait time of 13 minutes, 25 seconds, and Alabama ranked last, with a wait time of 21 minutes, one second.

 

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