Average orthopedic surgeon wait time up 48% since 2017

The average wait time to see an orthopedic surgeon is 16.9 days, up from 11.4 days in 2017, a 48% increase, according to Merritt Hawkins‘ 2022 “Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times and Medicare and Medicaid Acceptance Rates.”

Advertisement
By: Alan Condon

The survey tracked average new patient physician appointment wait times in five specialties:

Specialty

Average wait time 

Percentage (%) change since 2017

Shortest average wait times

Longest average wait times

OB/GYN

31.4 days

+19 percent

19 days
(New York City)

59 days
(Philadelphia)

Dermatologist

34.5 days

+ 7 percent

9 days
(Philadelphia)

72 days
(Minneapolis)

Cardiologist

26.6 days

+26 percent

13 days
(Dallas)

49 days
(Portland, Ore.)

Orthopedic surgeon

16.9 days

+48 percent

5 days 
(Washington, D.C.)

55 days 
(San Diego)

Family medicine physician

20.6 days

-30 percent

8 days
(Washington, D.C.)

44 days
(Portland, Ore.)

The survey includes data from 1,034 physician offices in 15 metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minnesota, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

Click here to access the Merritt Hawkins report.

Advertisement

Next Up in Orthopedic

Advertisement

Comments are closed.