Doctor wait times by state

If you don't like cooling your heels waiting to get in to see a medical practitioner, move somewhere in Wisconsin, the state with the shortest waiting time in America — 15.32 minutes. But if you love reading year-old magazines and listening to children wail, then Mississippi is your state. Average wait time: 24.45 minutes.

Or so says the medical online reference guide Vitals.com. In a study converted to a nifty infographic, Vitals reports its research on waiting room wait rates. By state, the shortest rates are:

1. Wisconsin, 15.32 minutes
2. New Hampshire, 15.40
3. Maine, 16.08
4. Vermont, 16.25
5. Washington, 16.39

All, by the way, above the Mason-Dixon line.

Longest waits are found in the South, states most plagued with the unhealthiest residents.

1. Mississippi, 24.45 minutes
2. Alabama, 24.18
3. West Virginia and Tennessee, tied at 23.11
4. Louisiana, 23.04

But of course, we mostly live in cities, where the real waiting happens. The cities with the shortest waits are:

1. Seattle, 16.15 minutes
2. Milwaukee, 16.17
3. Denver, 16.25
4. Minneapolis, 16.42
5. Portland, Ore., 17.05

The longest waits await patients in:

1. El Paso, Texas 29.20
2. Memphis, Tenn., 26.23
3. Miami, 25.04
4. San Antonio, 23.41
5. Las Vegas, 23.31

Has anyone installed slot machines in the Las Vegas waiting rooms? Opportunity is knocking.