Descriptions
Patients who cannot get a timely appointment with their primary care provider may seek out-of-network care, facing potentially higher costs and treatment from a provider who does not know their medical history. The practice consistently reviews the availability of major appointment types (e.g., urgent care, new patient, routine exams, follow-up) to ensure that it meets the needs and preferences of its patients, and adjusts appointment availability, if necessary (e.g., seasonal changes, shifts in patient needs, practice resources).
A common approach to measuring appointment availability against standards is to determine the third next available appointment for each appointment type.