“Our next appointment is in 19 days.”

What?!

Yes, this is what’s happening in healthcare nationwide if you’re a new patient and want to see a cardiologist, dermatologist, gynecologist, orthopedic surgeon or primary care physician. Healthcare consulting firm Merritt Hawkins obtained responses from 1,414 physicians in 15 metropolitan areas of the United States and found the average appointment time is 24 days.

The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) predicts the U.S. will have a shortage of between 46,000 and 90,000 physicians by the year 2025. About a third of the shortfall will consist of primary care physicians. How very fortunate Ocean Reef residents are to have such immediate quality health care in their own backyard!

Specialists are On-Site

You can choose from more than 22 different medical specialties at the Medical Center with more than 37 board-certified physicians within those specialties. For example, dermatology is always a busy specialty, and to fill the high demand there are five dermatologists to choose from and two Mohs surgeons available. Visiting Specialist Coordinator Pam Zimmerman efficiently keeps the specialists running smooth, despite days when as many as five specialists may be in-house.

Want to book an appointment online? Simply go to the Visiting Specialists page, choose the specialty and follow the prompts to select the specialist whose schedule fits yours.

Each week the Ocean Reef Press lists the Visiting Specialists schedule. If you don’t see your specialist listed that week, please refer to the Visiting Specialists page on this website or call Pam at 305-367-6702 for more information.