In a 2017 study (prior to COVID) it was reported that in the United States the average wait for a doctor's appointment was 24 days, or four full weeks. Dallas/Fort Worth scored among the best in the nation, with an average wait of only 14.8 days. While that is nothing to brag about, it's much better than other major metropolitan areas such as Boston, with a first-time appointment average wait time of 52.4 days. And if you or your loved ones are on Medicare, the wait is much, much worse. If you lived in Boston, and had Medicare, according to this survey the average wait for an doctor's appointment is 109 days---over 3 months. Albany New York? 122 days!

Now that COVID has changed the landscape of our nation, access to healthcare will be even more difficult. Doctors are seeing fewer and fewer patients daily. Many are changing their practice to telemedicine.

At Metroplex Wellness, we coordinate our patients' care. "Typically we are able to see our patients the same day they call. For specialty referrals, our patients are usually seen within 2-3 working days-even post-COVID."

"Recently patient contacted our office. His primary care physician was concerned about changes in the patient's vision and referred the patient to an ophthalmologist. Unfortunately, the earliest opportunity offered for this patient to be seen was almost 4 months later. This is an unsafe amount of time to wait on any health condition, much less vision," expressed Dr. Richard Thwaites, Medical Director of Metroplex Wellness. "Can you imagine the experience of having your primary care physician express a concern over your heart, and recommend a complete cardiac work-up, only to have to wait four weeks for the initial meeting with a cardiologist? Then another wait for the labs and other tests to be done. With a third or fourth trip back to the cardiologist to go over the results? This can be a 4 to 6 week process at minimum, and an unnecessarily delay for vital care. When one of our patients presented with a new cardiac symptom, more often than not they are seen by one of the best cardiologists in DFW in 48 hours or less."

If you would like to experience World-Class Access to Care, come visit with our team at Metroplex Wellness for a face-to-face complimentary health assessment.