Reference
Sources and methodology
The statistics on our home page come from two studies. Below are the full citations and the methodology behind each figure. The numbers describe patterns across the studied markets and states — they do not describe every patient's experience or every location.
68 days — average wait for a new rheumatology appointment
Source: ECG Management Consultants. Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times, 2023.
Methodology: ECG's researchers contacted physician practices across 23 major U.S. metropolitan areas and requested the next available new-patient appointment for 11 specialties. Rheumatology had the longest average wait of the specialties studied. The figure is an average across those metropolitan markets and is not a nationwide average — waits in individual markets vary meaningfully.
35 states / 19 states — rheumatology workforce shortfall
Source: Arthritis Care & Research, 2026. State-level projections of rheumatology workforce supply and demand.
Methodology: The study modeled projected supply (practicing rheumatologists) against projected demand (patients expected to need rheumatology care) for each U.S. state in 2025. Workforce adequacy was defined as projected supply divided by projected demand. States with a ratio below 1.0 are projected to have fewer rheumatologists than needed; states with a ratio below 0.7 are projected to have less than 70% of the workforce needed.
The 35-state figure counts states with any projected shortfall. The 19-state figure counts the subset with a projected shortfall of more than 30%.
Notes on interpretation
- Wait-time averages describe the studied markets. Individual patient experience varies by insurance, urgency, referring provider, and specific practice.
- Workforce projections are modeled estimates, not measured headcounts, and depend on assumptions about retirement, training pipeline, and demand growth.
- None of these statistics establish that any specific person needs, or does not need, rheumatology care.
If you believe a figure on our site is misrepresented or out of date, please email us at contact@rheumcapacity.com.