New Massachusetts patients must wait an average of 35 days for a doctor’s appointment, and a quarter of the state’s physician practices aren’t accepting new patients at all, according to a new survey by the Massachusetts Medical Society.
Compared to last year, the annual report found wait times had increased for four of the seven specialties that it looked at and down for just one-internal medicine.
In Worcester County, access to family practitioners appears to be a particular problem, with just 30 percent of offices accepting new patients, compared to 47 percent statewide, and wait times averaging 43 days, versus 36 for the state.
Worcester area residents also spend more time waiting to see cardiologists, but they have quicker access to orthopedic surgeons and internists.
