(Nov-2022) A decrease in the number of active specialists along with an increase in the aging U.S. population has increased average
wait times for new patients to see a U. S. specialty physician increased from 19 days in 2014 to 32 days in 2020. Wait times
are expected to reach 45-50 days by 2030 (in Canada, wait times are over 70 days). According to the Association of
American Medical Colleges (AAMC), 47% of active physicians in the U.S. (2021) were 55 or older.
The AAMC president (Dr. Darrell Kirch) wrote: “By 2030, the U.S. population “aged 65 and older” will grow by 28%,
which makes a projected shortage [in specialty physicians] especially troubling. As patients get older, they need two to three
times as many services, mostly in specialty care, which is where the shortages are particularly severe.”
While wait times are increasing for many, patients using nodMD’s managed specialty network can meet with providers MUCH
faster than the national average.