Waiting for weeks or even months for an appointment can add to patients’ anxiety and worsen medical issues, but financial incentives may keep doctors from taking action to reduce patient waiting times, say two chief medical officers.
Financial reasons may help explain why most healthcare providers have failed to reduce wait times, particularly for specialty care, write Jaewon Ryu, M.D., of Geisinger Health System, and Thomas H. Lee, M.D., of Press Ganey, in The New England Journal of Medicine.
