It is difficult for consumers to get information about oncology appointment availability, according to an evaluation of 40 cancer centers. 5 mystery shoppers used a standardized script to find out about first appointment times and services at the centers. Among their findings:

• On 3 in every 10 calls, the shoppers were unable to secure an estimated date without registering into the center’s database.
• On ~half the calls, shoppers were able to secure an estimated date.
• On 2 in every 10 calls, shoppers obtained an actual date.
• ~Three-fourths of the estimated or actual dates for a first available appointment were more than a week away.

The authors noted that even though their results showed no statistically significant variations, they did observe longer estimated and actual wait times at centers serving Medicaid patients, compared with clinics serving people with private insurance.