Decreasing frequency of office visits on fridays

To determine if the frequency of physician visits on Fridays varied over the course of 1997 to 2010, and if it varied by geographical region.

Data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) of the National Center for Health Statistics were analyzed to examine the frequency of office visits with physicians on Friday from 1997 to 2010, and the same data were also stratified by geographical location.

Fewer office visits occurred on Fridays compared to other weekdays, and the percentage of total visits that occurred on Fridays decreased over time (p = 0.04). Comparing between the different geographical regions, the South had the lowest rate of Friday visits and the West had the highest rate. The Northeast (p = 0.003) and South (p < 0.0001) had significantly lower rates than the West.

Although patients and physicians alike are disappointed in the amount of time physicians and patients spend face to face, physicians are currently not utilizing every day of the common workweek to see patients.