The Access Gap connects growing appointment delays with the broader costs of poor health and highlights the OnMed CareStation® results as a practical example of bringing treatment closer
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–An estimated 120 million Americans lack adequate access to healthcare. Across six specialties in 15 major U.S. metropolitan areas, new patients wait an average of 31 days for an appointment — a 19% increase since 2022. OnMed’s report, The Access Gap, examines what happens when people cannot get timely care and highlights how the OnMed CareStation® brings clinician-led treatment into communities, health systems, workplaces and campuses to help close that gap.
Drawing on published research and OnMed’s care delivery experience, the report explores how barriers to everyday healthcare can allow manageable conditions to worsen, push patients toward more expensive treatment settings and create consequences for families, employers and hospitals. Its central argument: improving healthcare requires greater investment in the places where people first seek care.
“No one should have to lie awake wondering whether a symptom is serious, then spend the next morning calling for an appointment they cannot get,” said Karthik Ganesh, CEO of OnMed. “That uncertainty follows people through their day. They worry about their health, what it might cost to get help and how long they can afford to wait. The numbers in this report help show how much is at stake when that experience becomes a familiar part of life for so many people.”
The Numbers Behind the Access Gap
The research assembled in the report illustrates both the difficulty of obtaining care and the broader financial pressures associated with poor health:
- 31-90 days to get an appointment. AMN Healthcare’s 2025 survey found that new patients waited an average of 31 days for a physician appointment, with wait times exceeding 90 days in some specialties and markets.
- 202,800 additional physicians to meet underserved demand. AAMC’s 2024 analysis estimated that the country would have needed approximately 202,800 more physicians in 2021 if underserved communities had obtained care at the same rate as populations with better access.
- $575 billion in illness-related lost productivity. An Integrated Benefits Institute analysis estimated that poor health cost U.S. employers $575 billion in lost productivity in 2019.
- At least $220 billion in medical debt. A 2024 KFF analysis of federal survey data estimated that Americans owed at least $220 billion in medical debt at the end of 2021.
These findings provide context for the report’s call to make timely care a greater priority. For employers, that means examining whether employees can realistically use the coverage they provide while reducing claims costs, absenteeism and productivity losses. For health systems, it means expanding access, reducing system strain and extending care capacity without adding new facilities. For colleges and universities, it means supporting student well-being, retention and academic success while easing pressure on campus health resources. For correctional facilities and rural and underserved communities, it means bringing clinician-led care closer to where people live and receive services. For payors, it means identifying risk earlier, reducing avoidable utilization and improving member outcomes before costs escalate.
OnMed CareStation®: Bringing Care Closer to People Without a Primary Care Provider
The CareStation experience provides a practical illustration of the need described in the report. According to company data, 80% of CareStation users do not have a primary care provider, and 86% of patients are diagnosed and treated without escalation. Together, these findings suggest that convenient access points can reach people who are disconnected from traditional care and address many everyday healthcare needs before they escalate.
The CareStation serves as the quarterback of care: a convenient, consistent presence that focuses on prevention, continuity of care and long-term condition management. CareStation clinicians collect vital signs, deliver preventive care services, manage chronic conditions, guide patients throughout their care journey, centrally document clinical findings and provide care navigation, referrals and follow-up support.
Located in community facilities, workplaces and college campuses, each private CareStation connects patients with a licensed clinician through live video and integrated diagnostic tools. Digital stethoscopes, examination cameras and vital sign monitoring support evaluation and treatment. Patients can receive a treatment plan and, when appropriate, a prescription or referral.
CareStations serve as physical access points within OnMed’s distributed care delivery platform, connecting technology, clinical information and human-delivered care.
“A dependable place to get care can change what happens next for a patient,” Ganesh said. “It could mean identifying high blood pressure they did not know they had or treating an infection before it becomes something more serious. With the CareStation, we’re making routine care easier to reach, connecting patients with licensed clinicians who can evaluate their concerns, provide appropriate treatment and support ongoing continuity of care. The future of healthcare isn’t replacing primary care. It’s making primary care available again where people already are.”
Read The Access Gap here.
About OnMed
OnMed is transforming how the world accesses healthcare. With its patented OnMed CareStation®, an 8×10 foot “Clinic-in-a-Box,” OnMed delivers comprehensive, immediate care wherever people live, work, and learn.
The OnMed CareStation® is a tech-enabled, AI-powered, and human-delivered platform that blends the comprehensiveness of traditional in-person care with the rapid scalability of telemedicine. Each CareStation serves as a local access point within a scalable, connected grid that delivers everyday healthcare at scale.
Powered by public-private partnerships across insurers, healthcare providers, governments, employers, and educational institutions, OnMed is redefining healthcare access, closing critical gaps, restoring trust, and strengthening the health and economic resilience of communities everywhere. Learn more at onmed.com.
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