Waiting to see your doctor can be a nerve-racking experience. Fear of an unknown diagnosis, worry about the rising cost of healthcare and the irritation of an unduly long wait in the doctor’s office all contribute to the anxiety felt by patients today.
Residents in Milwaukee may have less angst around their upcoming appointments, though. Vitals.com found that patients in the Wisconsin city have the third shortest average doctor’s office wait times as identified through an extensive analysis of patient ratings.
Vitals, a website dedicated to helping patients find and connect with doctors that meet their needs, analyzed patient-reported wait times from its database of over 700,000 physicians to learn more about nationwide wait time trends.
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“While the actual encounter with a physician is a key factor in how a patient feels about their office visit, with today’s busy lifestyles, wait times definitely matter in overall patient satisfaction,” said Jeff Cutler, executive vice president of Vitals. “It’s important for patients to be aware of how long they can expect to wait to receive the care they need, and increasingly, they can find this information on the Internet.”
Clocking in at 16.56 minutes on average, Milwaukee users reported some of the shortest doctor’s office wait times of any city on Vitals – about 5 minutes less than the national average of 21 minutes. The top five is rounded out by number one Minneapolis, Seattle, Omaha and Portland where users from those cities all reported average wait times of 17.26 minutes or less.
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El Paso residents, however, better be prepared for an exercise in patience. Vitals users report that wait times in that city are 29.25 minutes on average – a full eight minutes more than the national average.
Vitals has released its findings in an effort to increase transparency in healthcare. By reporting on average doctor’s office wait times by area, Vitals hopes that healthcare providers will strive to improve the quality of service they offer their communities.
“Vitals focuses on empowering patients with the tools and resources they need to make informed healthcare decisions and take charge of their health,” said Cutler. “It’s exciting to see more physicians and patients embrace the Internet as a tool to connect with one another and improve the patient experience.”
Top 15 Cities with the Shortest Average Wait Times
Minneapolis, MN
16.32
Seattle, WA
16.38
Milwaukee, WI
16.56
Omaha, NE
16.90
Portland, OR
17.26
Denver, CO
17.39
San Diego, CA
17.62
Austin, TX
17.94
Colorado Springs, CO
17.98
San Francisco, CA
18.28
Charlotte, NC
18.45
Cleveland, OH
18.52
Sacramento, CA
18.61
Indianapolis, IN
18.72
Raleigh, NC
18.82
To view the national press release of this story, click here.
About Vitals
Vitals empowers consumers with the tools and services they need to take charge of their health. Vitals is the only website dedicated to helping patients find doctors that meet their needs, request appointments and prepare for their visit with our condition-specific Patient Guides. Used by over 9 million people each month, Vitals makes it easy for patients to find and connect with quality medical care.