Did you know there’s a doctor shortage?

Seriously, this is getting old:

Following are some of the key findings resulting from Merritt Hawkins’ 2014 Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times and Medicaid and Medicare Rates of Acceptance

  • The average cumulative wait time to see a family physician in all 15 markets was 19.5 days, approximately the same as 20.3 days in 2009 (family practice was not included in the survey in 2004).
  • The average cumulative wait time to see a physician for all five specialties surveyed in 2014 in all 15 markets was 18.5 days, down from 20.4 days in 2009 and 20.9 days in 2004.

And then it gets worse.

How many times do we have to say that there is a physician shortage before someone acts on it? Especially given this (medical graduates per 100,000 pop):

GradsWe’re not making new docs fast enough. We’re increasing access. We’re complaining about the wait times.

So when will we actually do something about it?

@aaronecarroll

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