People who call a U.S. neurology clinic about memory problems are quoted an average wait of 17.9 weeks, roughly four months, for a first appointment, according to a telephone survey of 150 clinics in JAMA Network Open. The research letter, published Oct. 21 by researchers at Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Phoenix, found that specialized academic and research centers had the longest waits, averaging 21.1 weeks, compared with 15.6 weeks at community neurology clinics.
More than a quarter of the clinics, 41 of 150, quoted waits of six months or longer. Five were not accepting new patients at all.
