Getting Appointments and Care Quickly
CAHPS Asks Patients
In the last six months:
- When you needed care right away, how often did you get care as soon as you needed it?
- Not counting the times when you needed care right away, how often did you get an appointment for a checkup or routine care as soon as you needed?
- How often did you see the person you came to see within 15 minutes of your appointment time?
Clinical Best Practices
- Ensure a few appointments each day are available to accommodate urgent visits.
- Maintain an effective triage system to ensure that frail and/or very sick patients are seen right away or provided alternate care via phone, telemedicine or urgent care.
- For patients who want to be seen on short notice but cannot be seen by their doctor, offer appointments with other providers, such as a nurse practitioner or physician assistant.
Group Best Practices
- Assist patients in scheduling appointments and offer alternate ways to schedule, such as patient portal and after-hour phone numbers.
- Support patients during the referral and authorization process.
- Ensure patients receive staff attention if provider is delayed beyond “15-minute” timeframe—measure vitals, address falls, urinary incontinence, mental health, physical activity, etc.
