The article examines the objective, findings, and clinical context described in Wait Times for Neurology Appointments in the Cognitive Care Pathway.
Approach:
Study design: Knox and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional telephone survey of 150 purposefully selected community and specialized neurology clinics across the United States.
Wait-time measure: The survey assessed the mean interval to the earliest available neurologist appointment for a memory concern, including circumstances without a referral.
Key Findings:
The mean wait across clinics was 17.9 weeks.
Specialized clinics had a longer mean wait than community clinics: 21.1 versus 15.6 weeks.
These estimates exceeded the approximately 7-week interval reported in earlier claims-based studies of referred patients.
Interpretation:
The difference from earlier estimates could reflect shorter waits after clinician referral, or underestimation in prior studies because they measured from the referring physician’s last visit rather than the date the referral was issued. The source notes that further research is needed to distinguish these explanations.
Limitations:
The survey used a purposefully selected sample of clinics, rather than a random sample.
The study estimated appointment availability and did not establish the causes of longer waits.
Self-referral may be uncommon or restricted by insurance and clinic policies.
Conclusion:
The article describes strategies to address neurologist access at clinic, workforce, and policy levels, while noting that delays in cognitive care also arise earlier in the pathway from patient-, clinician-, and system-level factors.
