Key takeaways
- New patients in 15 big U.S. cities waited an average of 31 days to see a doctor in 2025, up from 21 days in 2004, according to one long-running survey.
- At least 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience an outpatient diagnostic error each year, and a 2024 modeling study tied missed or delayed diagnoses to about 795,000 deaths or permanent disabilities a year (plausible range 598,000 to about 1 million).
- In a 2022 national survey, 29% of women and 21% of men said a doctor had dismissed their concerns in the past two years.
- Endometriosis still takes 4 to 12 years to diagnose on average, the World Health Organization says, partly because chronic pelvic pain gets mistaken for normal.
- Leaving care entirely doesn’t fix these problems; a symptom log, a short script and a second opinion often do more.
In 1996, researchers published a survey of 218 women with endometriosis confirmed by surgery. Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside it, often causing pelvic pain1.
The women were asked how long it took to get from their first pain to a diagnosis. In the United States, the average was almost 12 years. In the United Kingdom, it was about 8 years2.
The women were recruited through self-help groups, so they may not speak for everyone2. But nearly three decades later, the World Health Organization (WHO) still says long delays are common. Its 2025 fact sheet puts the average at 4 to 12 years, and it names a cause: many people, families and health workers don’t recognize that the chronic pelvic pain it causes is not normal1.
Endometriosis affects about 10% of reproductive-age women worldwide, roughly 190 million people1. Many may spend years hearing that their pain is normal.
Experiences like these help explain why people turn toward natural health. The frustrations are real, and researchers have measured them. We walk through what goes wrong in conventional care, who it hits hardest, and how to turn frustration into better care rather than no care.
The wait to get in keeps getting longer
In 2025, AMN Healthcare, a company that sells workforce services to health care organizations, surveyed 1,391 physician offices in 15 large metro areas about how long a new patient waits3. The average wait across six specialties was 31 days, the longest since the survey began. It was 26 days in 2022 and 21 days in 20043.
Some specialties were worse than others:
- Obstetrics and gynecology: 42 days
- Gastroenterology: 40 days
- Dermatology: 36.5 days
- Cardiology: 33 days
- Family medicine: 23.5 days
- Orthopedic surgery: 12 days, the only one with a shorter wait than in 20223
Where you live matters. Boston averaged 65 days, and Atlanta averaged 123. Insurance matters too: 82% of the surveyed physicians accepted Medicare, but only 53% accepted Medicaid3.
Read these numbers with a few caveats. The survey covers only 15 large metro areas311. AMN notes that these cities have some of the most doctors per person in the country, so waits elsewhere could differ3. The press release doesn’t explain how the waits were measured3.
AMN also presents the results as evidence of a growing doctor shortage, a conclusion that fits a company selling workforce services3. Still, by the survey’s own repeated yardstick, the average has climbed from 21 days to 31 since 20043.
Once you’re in, the clock is running
University of Minnesota researchers studied more than 8.1 million primary care visits recorded in electronic health records in 2017. They published the results in JAMA Health Forum in 20234.
The typical doctor spent about 18.9 minutes per patient. A quarter of doctors averaged 14.1 minutes or less4. Booking a longer slot barely helped: a 30-minute appointment lasted only about 4 minutes more than a 10-minute one4.
Time pressure showed up in the care. Shorter visits were linked to more inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for upper respiratory infections, such as colds, and slightly more risky co-prescribing of opioids with sedatives called benzodiazepines4.
Visits were also shorter for some groups. Black and Hispanic patients got roughly half a minute less than White patients, and Medicaid patients got about half a minute less than patients with commercial insurance4. That’s small per visit, but it adds up across years of care.
The authors pointed to a basic conflict: fee-for-service payment rewards seeing more patients, which squeezes the time each one gets4. The study shows links, not proof of cause, and it drew on practices using one records company4. Our guide to preparing for a doctor visit can help you make those minutes count.
Diagnostic errors are common, and a few diseases cause most of the harm
A diagnostic error means a diagnosis that is missed, wrong or delayed. In 2014, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the Houston VA and the University of Texas put the outpatient diagnostic error rate at about 5%5.
That works out to at least 1 in 20 American adults, or about 12 million people a year. The researchers judged that about half of those errors could be harmful5.
A larger estimate followed in 2024. Newman-Toker and colleagues, writing in BMJ Quality & Safety, combined national disease counts with error rates from published studies6. They estimated that about 795,000 Americans a year die or are permanently disabled after a missed or delayed diagnosis. The plausible range ran from 598,000 to 1,023,0006.
The harm clustered. Vascular events such as strokes and blood clots, infections, and cancers made up about three-quarters of the serious harms6. Five conditions alone accounted for about 38.7%: stroke, sepsis, pneumonia, blood clots in the veins, and lung cancer6. Stroke was missed in an estimated 17.5% of cases, leading to about 94,000 serious harms a year6.
The paper discloses its limits and ties. Some error rates came from studies in other wealthy countries, and the totals are modeled, not counted6. Two authors have served on the board of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine, a group that also helped fund the study, and the lead author serves as a consultant on diagnostic-error legal cases for both sides6.
So the exact numbers are uncertain. The main conclusion is still sobering. The authors judge that missed diagnoses likely cause more serious harm than any other kind of medical mistake. Because a short list of conditions drives so much of it, targeting those conditions could prevent a lot of harm6.
Not being believed has a pattern
Feeling dismissed is a frequent complaint, and national surveys show it isn’t spread evenly.
In KFF’s 2022 Women’s Health Survey of adults aged 18 to 64, 29% of women and 21% of men said a doctor had dismissed their concerns in the past two years. Fifteen percent of women and 12% of men said a provider didn’t believe they were telling the truth7. Among women aged 18 to 35, 46% reported at least one negative experience with a provider7.
KFF’s 2024 survey dug further. A third of women who had seen a provider in the past two years described at least one bad interaction8. Among them: a question or request that went ignored (20%), an assumption made without asking (19%), and a hint that the woman herself was at fault for her health problem (13%)8.
For LGBT+ women (51%) and women with disabilities (47%), it was about half8. Among women who felt treated unfairly, weight was the reason they named most often8.
Race shapes these experiences too. In KFF’s 2023 Survey on Racism, Discrimination and Health, 18% of Black adults said a health care provider had treated them unfairly because of their race or ethnicity in the past three years. So did 12% of American Indian and Alaska Native adults, 11% of Hispanic adults, 10% of Asian adults and 3% of White adults9.
Sixty percent of Black adults said they at least sometimes take steps such as preparing for possible insults or watching how they present themselves, compared with 33% of White adults9. Among people who were pregnant or gave birth in the past decade, 22% of Black adults said they were refused pain medicine they thought they needed, compared with 10% of White adults9.
These experiences have consequences. One in four adults who used health care said a negative experience led to worse health, made them less likely to seek care, or caused them to switch providers9. Having a provider who shares their background helped: Black adults who saw such providers for at least half of recent visits were more likely to say they were involved in decisions about their care, 84% versus 73%9.
The bill can stop care before it starts
Cost is the frustration that can end a visit before it’s booked. In a May 2026 KFF survey, 28% of adults said they had skipped or postponed needed health care in the past year because of cost10. About one in seven adults said their health got worse because they skipped or delayed care, for cost or any other reason10.
The debt lingers too. In 2022, 41% of adults said they owed money for medical or dental bills10. Our guide to cutting medical bills has practical ways to lower the total.
Why these frustrations draw people toward natural health
Put the findings side by side, and they read like a list of what natural-health practice promises: time, listening, being believed, attention to the whole person, and care you can afford.
Those are fair demands. They are also what good conventional care is supposed to deliver. Wanting them doesn’t make anyone naive, and getting them from a practitioner who takes an hour to listen can feel like relief.
But one problem doesn’t move with you. The harms that matter most come from conditions such as stroke, sepsis and cancer, which are found with exams, imaging and lab tests and treated with time-sensitive care6. A more caring setting doesn’t remove the need for those tools. Any practitioner, natural or conventional, can miss a diagnosis.
The goal is to keep the attention you deserve without giving up the diagnostic tools you may need. Frustration is information. Use it to demand better care, not to walk away from care.
Turn a frustration into a next step
| What happened | What to try next | Where to learn more |
|---|---|---|
| You waited weeks for an appointment | Ask to join a cancellation list, or ask whether a nurse practitioner or physician assistant can see you sooner | What to bring, write down and ask before a doctor visit |
| The visit felt rushed | Write your top three concerns and lead with the most important one; ask for a follow-up visit | What to bring, write down and ask before a doctor visit |
| You felt dismissed or not believed | Use the script below, bring your symptom log, and ask that your concern be noted in your record | What to say when a doctor isn’t taking you seriously |
| Symptoms keep going without an answer | Ask what else it could be, request a referral, or get a second opinion | When a second opinion changes something, and how to get one |
| A bill made you skip care | Ask for an itemized bill and the hospital’s financial assistance policy before you pay | Cut your medical bills without cutting the care |
| You were treated unfairly | Ask for the patient advocate, write down what happened, and consider switching clinicians | What to say when a doctor isn’t taking you seriously |
A script for when you feel brushed off. Try saying it close to word for word:
- “I’ve had this for [how long], and it’s [getting worse / stopping me from doing X].”
- “I’m worried it could be [your concern]. Can we rule that out?”
- “What else could cause this?”
- “If we wait and watch, what should make me come back sooner?”
- “If you don’t think a test is needed, can you note that in my chart along with my request?”
The third question matters most, because it invites your clinician to look past the first explanation.
If you have sudden symptoms such as trouble speaking, weakness on one side, chest pain or trouble breathing, don’t wait for an appointment. Call 911. Our guide to symptoms that need emergency care lists the warning signs.
What the evidence says
This table rates how strong the evidence is that each problem is real and common, using the library’s four-level scale.
| Claim | What the research shows | Evidence level |
|---|---|---|
| Waits for new patients are long and growing | 31 days on average in 15 big cities in 2025, from one repeated industry survey3 | : one survey, cities only |
| Shorter visits lead to worse prescribing | Linked in 8.1 million visits, but the study shows association, not cause4 | |
| Diagnostic errors are common and harmful | About 1 in 20 outpatients a year; serious-harm estimates range widely56 | that errors are common; exact size uncertain |
| Women, people of color, LGBT+ and disabled patients report more dismissal | Consistent results across three national KFF surveys789 | |
| Endometriosis takes years to diagnose | WHO says 4 to 12 years on average12 | |
| Cost keeps people from care | 28% skipped or postponed care due to cost in 202610 | |
| Leaving conventional care altogether solves these problems | The most harmful missed conditions still need exams, imaging and tests6 | that it helps |
Questions readers ask
Is “medical gaslighting” a real thing?
Whatever you call it, the experience behind the phrase is well documented. National surveys show many patients, especially women, people of color, LGBT+ adults and people with disabilities, report being dismissed or not believed789. Naming it can help you push for a fuller workup.
Should I switch doctors after one bad visit?
Sometimes one honest conversation fixes it, and sometimes it doesn’t. If you feel repeatedly dismissed or treated unfairly, switching is reasonable. In KFF’s 2023 survey, one in four adults who used health care said a negative experience led them to switch providers, avoid care or end up in worse health9.
Are natural-health practitioners less likely to miss a diagnosis?
We found no good research comparing their diagnostic accuracy with that of physicians. Longer visits can help any practitioner listen, but finding stroke, sepsis or cancer depends on exams, imaging and lab tests, so ask any practitioner how they would rule those out6.
What if I can’t afford to go back?
Ask about cost and payment help before you decline care. Our guide to cutting medical bills has practical steps. Skipping care because of cost is common, and about one adult in seven says skipping or delaying care made their health worse10.
The bottom line
The things that frustrate people about conventional care are not imagined. New-patient waits have grown, visits are short, diagnostic errors are common, and many patients, especially women and people of color, report being dismissed. Cost stops many people before they reach the door.
Those frustrations are good reasons to demand better care, and natural-health values point toward what better looks like: time, listening and respect. Use the tools here, from the symptom log to the script and a second opinion, to get that care without giving up the tests and treatments that catch the conditions doing the most harm.
Related reading
About this article
This article was researched using World Health Organization materials, peer-reviewed studies and national surveys by KFF and others, all listed below. It was reviewed in October 2026. It is general education and not medical, legal or financial advice.
Sources
- World Health Organization. “Endometriosis.” WHO fact sheet, October 15, 2025. who.int
- “Delay in the diagnosis of endometriosis: a survey of women from the USA and the UK.” Human Reproduction, 1996 (PubMed abstract). pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- AMN Healthcare. “New Survey Shows Physician Appointment Wait Times Surge: 19% Since 2022, 48% Since 2004.” Press release, May 27, 2025. ir.amnhealthcare.com
- Neprash HT, Mulcahy JF, Cross DA, et al. “Association of Primary Care Visit Length With Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing.” JAMA Health Forum, 2023. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Singh H, Meyer AND, Thomas EJ. “The frequency of diagnostic errors in outpatient care: estimations from three large observational studies involving US adult populations.” BMJ Quality & Safety, 2014. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Newman-Toker DE, Nassery N, Schaffer AC, et al. “Burden of serious harms from diagnostic error in the USA.” BMJ Quality & Safety, 2024. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- KFF. “Women’s Experiences with Provider Communication and Interactions in Health Care Settings: Findings from the 2022 KFF Women’s Health Survey.” KFF, February 22, 2023. kff.org
- KFF. “A Closer Look at Negative Interactions Experienced by Women in Health Settings: Findings from the 2024 Women’s Health Survey.” KFF, March 12, 2025. kff.org
- Artiga S, Hamel L, Gonzalez-Barrera A, et al. “Survey on Racism, Discrimination and Health: Experiences and Impacts Across Racial and Ethnic Groups.” KFF, December 5, 2023. kff.org
- KFF. “Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs.” KFF, updated September 29, 2026. kff.org
- Heath S. “Average patient appointment wait time is 31 days in 2025.” TechTarget Patient Engagement, May 27, 2025. techtarget.com