MONDAY, May 4, 2026 (NewsDay News) — The average wait time for a new neurologist appointment is about 50 days and varies by gender, neurological conditions and insurance type, and geographic variables, according to a study published online April 29. Neurology.
Elinor K. Laffargue, MPH, of the US Department of Veterans Affairs in Orange, Connecticut, and colleagues conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study using data from 2019 to 2023 to determine wait times and wait time drivers for new neurologic visits for 114,034 MerrolleSticle Markete.
The researchers found that the average wait time was 49.7 days and the median wait was 25.0 days. Estimated waiting times were shorter for women than men (−7.0 days) and for stroke, dizziness or vertigo, and traumatic brain injury (−8.2, −7.8, and −6.5 days, respectively); a longer waiting time was seen for multiple sclerosis (+4.0 days). The longest waits were observed in the Northeast census region (+4.6 days). A shorter wait time was observed for the proportion of non-Hispanic Whites in a metropolitan statistical area (MSA; −0.2 days for MSA percent White). The shortest wait times were seen for enrollees with consumer health plans (−2.4 days). No correlation was found between density of neurologists/100,000 enrollees and waiting time.
“Our study showed that when it comes to waiting times to see neurologists, it’s not a simple matter of supply and demand,” said co-author John P. Ney, MD, MPH, of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, said in a statement. “We found that how long you wait to see a neurologist depends on things like how severe your condition is, your gender, where you live and what kind of insurance you have.”
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