People are increasingly noticing shorter primary care appointment times. And David Liss, PhD, a researcher at Northwestern University, has been studying the trend.
Liss and colleagues compared outcomes among primary care physicians who scheduled 15- and 30-minute appointments with those who scheduled 20- and 40-minute appointments. The researchers found no significant differences in patients’ ability to receive preventive services such as breast or colorectal cancer screening or the pneumococcal vaccine.
However, Liss says they found one unexpected outcome that may surprise patients: The 15/30 group had more primary care visits and fewer specialty visits than the 20/40 group. Liss says shorter visits mean doctors have more available appointment slots and, thus, people aren’t waiting as long to see a provider — and can do so more frequently.
“When you have more primary care visits, it allows the physician to do a little more with the patient and, therefore, have less of a need to refer to a specialist to take care of something that could be handled in the primary care setting,” Liss says.
It comes down to balance. Shorter appointment times may frustrate patients, but appointment availability is essential.
Originally published in the Spring/Summer 2026 print issue.
Anushree (Anu) Vashist is a freelance writer who often covers medicine, science, and higher education. She recently graduated from the University of Chicago with a double major in biological sciences and history.
