Dr. Podwall interviewed by Newsday in article “Where did all the medical appointments go?”
Article by Sarina Trangle
Patients who were new to a medical practice waited an average of 26 days nationwide to see a physician in 2022, up from about 24 days in 2017 and 21 days in 2004, according to the staffing firm AMN Healthcare and its physician recruiting division, Merritt Hawkins, which publishes surveys on access to medical care in metro areas. The researchers didn't request help with urgent or emergency issues or thoroughly explore online scheduling tools, the survey noted.
Appointments tended to be easier to secure in New York City than the 14 other metropolitan areas included in the survey. But researchers reported a huge range in waiting times. Patients in the city may have been able to see a cardiologist in two days or need to wait 206 days, according to the analysis. Meeting with a dermatologist could have happened in just five days — or 158 days. The city had the lowest rate of acceptance of Medicare, the government-run insurance program that primarily serves seniors, and a relatively small number of providers accepting Medicaid, the government-administered program for low-income households.
The struggle to schedule appointments can feel just as acute on Long Island, medical providers and health economists said. They weren't aware of data focused on the Nassau-Suffolk region, and none of the major health systems on Long Island would share average wait times with Newsday.
Health systems don't want to advertise that it may take longer to get care with them than with a competitor, said Dr. David Podwall, president of the Nassau County Medical Society, a trade group for doctors. His Lake Success practice, Neurological Associates of Long Island PC, created a waitlist while reopening after being shut during the early days of the pandemic, Podwall said. He thought his team would work through the backlog within six months or so, but he no longer believes that's possible.
“Our waiting lists are well into the summer at this point,” he said. “Anyone can tell you: You call one of these larger hospitals … they're very good, but you get put on a waiting list. It's just very hard to get in.”
Newsday asked doctors, economists and patient advocates why securing a medical appointment has become so difficult, and what people can do about it. Here's what they had to say:
