How is this a thing when there are conditions that could likely get drastically worse in between the symptoms showing and the actual appointment date? And also people getting no assurance it’s not something life threatening causing extra anxiety and stress?
I have no expertise in economics or the medical industry so I’d appreciate any insights.
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I’m a specialist. To my knowledge, there are approximately 1400 board certified specialists in my field in the United States. The average time spent on a waitlist to see myself or my colleagues is approximately 6 to 12 months. Part of this is because we can only see one patient per day (two if we have a specially trained assistant), as each appointment typically takes a minimum of 4 hours but may last as long as 12 hours. Even with an assistant, we’re capped at about 8 per week, which equates to maybe 416 patients per year (not accounting for patient no-shows, cancellations, holidays, sick leave, etc.).
Beyond this, there are certain barriers to entry. For instance, you typically need to see another specialist before that provider refers you to me. Sometimes you need another specialist to refer you to that specialist.
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