If you're like most Americans, you have to wait at least 20 minutes in the waiting room before you see your doctor. This wait time has become a serious frustration for many people and it has led to the rise of other forms of primary care such as direct primary care and concierge medicine.

Why do I have to wait?

Doctors are paid by insurance and Medicare for every patient they see according to why they see the patient and what procedures they perform for the patient. They are NOT paid by the amount of time they spend with the patient.

Since every doctor's goal is to maximize revenue, they will schedule as many patients into their day as possible. Therefore, more patients plus more procedures equals more income.

Patients become frustrated because they believe the time just has not been scheduled well.  It's easier to understand why doctors get so far behind, and why we are kept waiting, if patients understand that it's the volume of patients and procedures, not the time spent per patient, that comprises a doctors' income.

What is an acceptable amount of time to wait?

An acceptable amount of time to wait will vary by doctor and the type of practice he/she runs. Typically, the more specialized the doctor, the longer you'll have to wait. The fewer doctors in any given specialty who practice in your geographical area, the more time you'll have to wait, too.

If you visit an internist who consistently makes you wait an hour, that is too long. On the other hand, if you visit a brain surgeon who makes you wait an hour, that may not be unusual.

The amount of wait-time also depends upon your relationship with your doctor. If you have been a patient for many years, and the doctor usually sees you within a few minutes, but one day that stretches to a half-hour, then you know it's unusual. The best advice is, try to be patient.

Tips to reduce your wait time:

• When you book your appointment, make sure the doctor won't just be returning from a vacation or conference, or a period of time out of the office. 
• If possible, avoid Saturdays or evenings as those times are the busiest. Try to get the earliest appointment in the morning, or the first appointment after lunch. During each of those times you'll avoid a backed up group of patients. You also have a better chance of spending less time in the waiting room. 
• When you make your appointment, ask which day of the week is the lightest scheduling day. Fewer patients on that day will hopefully mean shorter wait times. 
• If the doctor sees children as patients, then try not to book your appointment on a school holiday. 

Direct primary care offers the solutions to your healthcare problems. Once enrolled with a direct primary care practice, you'll have 24 / 7 access to your primary care doctor's cell phone along with the ease and convenience of scheduling same-day appointments. Many direct primary care practices don't have waiting rooms because there is no wait. You call in to schedule an appointment and you're in the doctor's office within a couple of hours. Is direct primary care right for you?