I've been working in a hospital oncology department for most of the past 40 plus years. Things are far worse post-COVID than they have ever been before. Many people got COVID burnout and left the profession. Long appointment times are the result of insufficient staff, and I don't see that changing for a while. We (hospital) gross more than ever before but lose $2M/month largely because of the cost of travelers (contract nurse, etc.). It's not just physician availability, but the staff needed to support them that limits access. Ever walk into a restaurant, wait for a table, and when being seated see lots of empty tables? Same thing, too little staff to handle table vacancies. Rest assured that we ALWAYS take emergent cases as a priority, but non-emergent cases can take a while. No one is trying to do anything other than the best they can do under the circumstances. Be kind. Feel free to look towards other areas, states, etc. to get care if the worry you feel is too much.
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