Primary Care Patient Wait Times Rose to 13.5 Days
Medical practices are hiring advanced practice providers to manage increased wait times.
Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Nursing Jobs
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Wait times for new primary care patients have increased to 13.5 days, up from 9.5 days, forcing many medical groups to adjust their staffing models. As demand from an aging population intensifies, these groups are increasingly prioritizing the hiring of advanced practice providers.
Why it matters
The rise in wait times reflects a widening gap between a limited supply of physicians and an aging population requiring more care. To maintain capacity, operators are being forced to shift care team ratios and overhaul their scheduling infrastructure.
A recent MGMA poll shows new primary care wait times hit 13.5 days, compared to 9.5 days previously, while 48% of medical groups report adding advanced practice providers relative to physicians. Meanwhile, 28% of groups explicitly reported longer wait times for new patients.
The players
MGMA
A professional association representing the interests of medical practice leaders and administrators.
Andy Swanson
A representative who presented industry data regarding operational wait times.
The details
Medical groups are responding to capacity constraints by reworking scheduling templates and extending office hours. The core operational shift involves changing care team ratios to rely more heavily on advanced practice providers rather than physicians, a move designed to mitigate the limited supply of graduating doctors.
Timeline
November 2025: Groups increased advanced practice provider hiring.
July 14, 2026: MGMA poll regarding new-patient wait times was conducted.
September 30, 2026: Andy Swanson shared data at the MGMA conference.
2027: New benchmark figures are expected.
Market Landscape
This staffing shift follows the pattern of increased patient demand established by the aging population trend. Medical groups are now moving toward a more decentralized care team model to manage volume pressure.
Operators should evaluate their current care team ratios and consider if hiring advanced practice providers can alleviate scheduling bottlenecks. Tracking wait time metrics against the latest industry benchmarks is essential for competitive staffing and revenue management.
The takeaway
The sustained increase in wait times signals that the current medical workforce is insufficient to meet the volume generated by an aging patient base. Operators should benchmark their current staffing mix against the 48 percent of groups who have pivoted toward advanced practice providers.
What happens next
Medical groups should monitor the 2027 MGMA benchmark report for updated industry standards on patient wait times and staffing ratios.
Further reading
For more on evolving care team structures, see Nursing Jobs.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Physicianspractice.
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