Why it takes forever to get a doctor's appointment

Plus more health news | Email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [Health Matters]( [Why it takes forever to get a doctor's appointment]( By Angela Haupt Editor, Health and Wellness Last week, my mom suffered a serious neurological incident and was rushed to the hospital. She's since been discharged, and spent the past 24 hours making calls to schedule follow-up appointments. We were wildly frustrated to learn that it would take weeks or months to get in with all the specialists she needs to see. In a new piece for TIME, primary care physician Dr. Ilana Yurkiewicz explains why it takes forever to schedule doctor's appointments. She has 1,300 patients, and after she's done with appointments at 5 p.m., she sorts through 50 to 100 messages. Then she takes three to four hours of work home with her every night. "Doctors are working harder and longer, all while patients can access us less," she writes. Part of the problem has to do with electronic medical records. Doctors spend two hours doing computer tasks for every one hour facing patients, Yurkiewicz points out. Ordering something as simple as Tylenol requires clicking on a computer screen 14 to 62 times. And when patients can't get face-to-face time, they turn to messaging, deluging doctors with even more electronic work. It's a perfect storm—and fixing this crisis, Yurkiewicz says, will involve profoundly rethinking how we allocate the resources we already have. [READ MORE]( Share This Story What Else to Read [Too Many Mothers Are Dying in Childbirth. Here’s How They Can Be Saved]( By Alice Park The Gates Foundation's 2023 Goalkeepers report proposes ways to prevent maternal and newborn deaths, even in wealthy countries. [Read More »]( [Eric Nam Wants to Remind Everyone That No One Has ‘Perfect’ Mental Health]( By Chad de Guzman Eric Nam shares his thoughts on his latest album, "House on a Hill," and his work on mental health. [Read More »]( [Column: Finding Power in My Panic Attacks]( By Matt Gutman "There was nothing specific that brought on this particular panic—and that’s what is often so terrorizing about them," writes Matt Gutman. [Read More »]( [Common Nasal Decongestant Doesn’t Actually Work, According to FDA Advisors]( By Cailley LaPara / Bloomberg A panel of advisers to the U.S. FDA said that phenylephrine, a main component of over-the-counter cold medicines, doesn’t actually work. [Read More »]( [How to Find Small Moments of Joy in Dark Times]( By Angela Haupt Create a joy bucket list, have recess every day, and dance it out. [Read More »]( ONE LAST READ [Keeping drug users alive, one call at a time]( After Jessica Blanchard’s daughter began using drugs, her priority eventually shifted from convincing her to quit to keeping her alive. That mental shift led Blanchard, a trained nurse, to join Never Use Alone, a unique harm-reduction hotline through which volunteers talk to people as they use drugs, always prepared to call emergency services if they overdose. [Read More »]( If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, [click here](. Today's newsletter was written by Angela Haupt and Jamie Ducharme, and edited by Angela. [Want more from TIME? Sign up for our other newsletters.]( [Subscribe to TIME]( TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this email. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Connect with TIME via [Facebook]( | [Twitter]( | [Newsletters]( [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS]( TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508 Questions? Contact health@time.com Copyright © 2023 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved.