Older individuals typically wait a bit more than a month to obtain specialist care from a neurologist after being referred by their primary or another physician, according to a recent study. This research specifically focused on patients with Medicare insurance and indicated that some may wait over three months for an appointment.
A recent study published in the January 8, 2025, online edition of Neurology®, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, reveals that older adults have an average waiting time of just over a month to see a neurologist after being referred by their primary care physician or another doctor. This study, which involved Medicare recipients, also highlighted that some individuals face waits exceeding three months.
According to Brian C. Callaghan, MD, MS, FAAN, the study’s author and Chair of the American Academy of Neurology’s Health Services Research Subcommittee at the University of Michigan Health in Ann Arbor, “Neurologists offer vital and continuous care for individuals with complicated conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, strokes, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and migraines. Our research indicates that with the current number of neurologists in the US, patients generally wait about a month or more to receive this essential care.”
For the study, researchers analyzed two years of Medicare records to find 163,313 individuals referred by doctors to neurologists. The average age of the participants was 74, and they were referred by 84,975 physicians to a total of 10,250 neurologists throughout the United States.
Researchers measured the interval between the initial referral and the first visit with a neurologist for each participant.
The findings indicated that the average wait time to see a neurologist was 34 days, with 18% waiting more than 90 days. The study found that there were no discrepancies in wait times based on race, ethnicity, or gender. When comparing specific conditions, patients seeking care for back pain faced an average wait of 30 days, while those with multiple sclerosis (MS) waited an average of 29 days longer. Patients with epilepsy, on average, waited 10 days longer, and those with Parkinson’s disease faced an additional wait of nine days.
Interestingly, researchers discovered that the availability of neurologists in an area—ranging from as few as 10 to as many as 50 neurologists per 100,000 people—did not significantly affect wait times. However, variations among states were noted due to differing policies and regulations related to healthcare access.
Patients who visited a neurologist outside their physician’s referral network experienced longer wait times, averaging an additional 11 days. The most frequent neurological conditions for these patients were MS, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease.
Chun Chieh Lin, PhD, MBA, from The Ohio State University in Columbus, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, stated, “Generally, timely referrals to specialists have been associated with improved patient outcomes and greater satisfaction. Our results highlight the necessity for creating new strategies that facilitate quicker access to neurologists for those with neurological conditions.”
American Academy of Neurology President Carlayne E. Jackson, MD, FAAN, noted, “We are actively working to minimize wait times by offering resources that enable neurology practices to deliver care more efficiently. Enhancing the number of practicing neurologists has been a long-standing objective for the AAN, and our collaboration with policymakers has contributed to improved telemedicine access for people with neurological issues.”
One limitation of the study is that it did not account for individuals referred to neurologists who did not attend their appointments, potentially missing relevant data on disparities at the referral stage. Lin stressed that future research should encompass those referred to neurologists who did not follow through with care.
This study was supported by the American Academy of Neurology.
