June 2, 2025

Article: Physician Appointment Wait Times Climb: 4 Survey Findings

Anew AMN Healthcare survey published May 27 found it now takes an average of 31 days to schedule a physician appointment in 15 of the largest U.S. metropolitan areas – up 19% from 2022 and 48% from 2004.

AMN Healthcare conducted the survey of 1,391 physician offices in January and February. It highlights ongoing challenges related to scheduling physician appointments.

The survey, which focused on six medical specialties, gathered data from offices across:

• The Atlanta,
• Boston,
• Dallas,
• Denver,
• Detroit,
• Houston,
• Los Angeles,
• Miami,
• Minneapolis,
• New York City,
• Philadelphia,
• Portland, Ore.,
• San Diego,
• Seattle, and
• Washington, D.C., areas.

Four Key Findings:

• It now takes an average of 31 days to schedule a physician appointment in the metropolitan areas’ surveys.
  • In 2022, the last year the survey was conducted, it took 26 days.
  • In 2004, the first year the survey was conducted, it took 21 days.
• Average wait times for physician appointments differ by specialty:
  • OB-GYN: 42 days – a 33% increase from 2022 and a 79% increase since 2004.
  • Gastroenterology: 40 days – this marks the first year gastroenterology is part of the survey.
  • Dermatology: 36.5 days – up 6% since 2022 and a 74% increase from 2004.
  • Cardiology: 33 days – a 23% increase from 2022 and a 74% increase from 2004.
  • Family medicine: 23.5 days – up 14% from 2022 and a 16% from 2009, the first year this specialty was added to the survey.
  • Orthopedic surgery: 12 days – down from both 2022 and 2004.
• Among metropolitan areas surveyed, Boston had the longest average physician appointment wait time at 65 days, and Atlanta had the shortest at 12 days.
• More than half of physician offices surveyed accept Medicaid (53%), compared with 82% that accept Medicare.

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May 22, 2025

Care Coordination Article: Hackensack’s Pediatric ED Cuts Early Walk-out Rate 82%

Hackensack University Medical Center’s pediatric emergency department has significantly reduced patient-wait times and its left-before-treatment-complete rate through a series of targeted patient-flow improvements.

In 2022, patient volumes hit a record high at the pediatric ED – part of Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center. The waiting room was routinely full, and many lower-acuity children were not getting in front of a provider in a timely manner.

After navigating a sharp spike in pediatric visits during the 2022 virus season, ED leaders conducted a deep dive into their metrics. At the time, the average door-to-provider time was 50 minutes, and the average door-to-bed time was 52 minutes. Additionally, 4.5% of patients left the ED before completing treatment.

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May 22, 2025

Whitepaper: Health Systems’ Onsite Medical Supplies Distribution Playbook to Operate More Efficiently

Grappling with ineffective operations, lack of capable logistics staff and “firefighting” day-to-day supplies issues?

Learn how leading health systems overcome these challenges by partnering with external operations experts. Discover strategies to streamline your supply chain, reduce costs and deliver consistent, high-quality care.

Gain the tools to:

• Build a business case for third-party supply chain partners,
• Overcome workforce shortages with scalable, expert resources, and
• Ensure seamless supply chain transitions that protect patient care.

Click Here to Download the Whitepaper

May 19, 2025

Case Study: Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) Advances Value-Based Care with New In-House Specialty Pharmacy

As Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) began its value-based care journey, leadership realized that improving access to specialty medication presented a major opportunity to support their patients.

Dr. Gary Zimmer, MD, FACEP, Chief Medical Office for MVHS shared, “We started asking ourselves how do we get medications to patients who need them?”

The answer was clear. MVHS decided to partner with CPS Solutions, LLC to open an in-house specialty pharmacy

With CPS, MVHS patients now have direct access to a dedicated specialty pharmacy team who helps them secure timely, affordable access to the treatments they need.

Click Here to Read the full case study

May 16, 2025

Article: Physician Burnout Dips, but Pressures Remain

During the COVID-19 pandemic, physician burnout and job dissatisfaction rates reached historic highs. In the years since, burnout rates have come down – though not nearly enough to ease concerns about the nation’s physician shortage and patient access to high-quality care.

Every three years since 2011, researchers at Stanford (Calif.) Medicine have surveyed practicing physicians to track changes in burnout and well-being among the workforce. The latest edition, published April 9 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, is based on responses from more than 7,600 physicians surveyed between late 2023 and early 2024.

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May 14, 2025

New Case Study: Transforming Rural Healthcare Through the HRSA LGP

In the rolling hills of southeastern Kentucky, where the lack of access to healthcare looms large and poverty rates exceed national averages, Grace Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), has emerged as an essential provider for over 45,000 patients across six counties.

This case study, prepared with support from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), describes how Grace Health leveraged the HRSA Health Center Facility Loan Guarantee Program (LGP) to overcome barriers like aging infrastructure, fragmented services, and limited access to rural healthcare to complete two capital projects that reshaped their care delivery. Grace Health CFO Chad Stevens shares his lessons learned and offer a roadmap for health centers seeking to use the HRSA LGP.

Click Here to Learn More about LGP

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May 14, 2025

2025 Patient Impact Report: Health-System Specialty Pharmacy (HSSP)

The fourth annual report reveals the latest Health-System Specialty Pharmacy (HSSP) clinical outcomes, benchmarks, and best practices across the country.

What’s Inside:

• Latest clinical benchmarks and outcomes measurement strategies broken out by disease state.
• Research findings on new and innovative patient care strategies from award-winning CPS clinical outcomes studies and journal articles.
• Insights about how a holistic patient care approach helps address social determinants of health (SDOH).
• New trends on rare diseases and how HSSP helps facilitate those patient journeys.
• Real-world testimonials from patients and providers across the country that showcase high-quality care and improved outcomes within HSSP.

Click Here to Download Report