Previous Page
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 thought you needed it?
- Not counting the times when you needed care right away, how often did you get an appointment for your healthcare at a doctor’s office or clinic as soon as you thought you needed?
- How often did you see the person you came to see within 15 minutes of your appointment time?
Clinical Guidelines
- 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 or urgent care.
- For patients who want to be seen on short notice but cannot be seen by their doctor, offer appointments with a nurse practitioner or physician assistant.
- Encourage patients to make their routine appointments for checkups or follow-up visits as soon as they can – weeks or even months in advance.
- Address the “15-minute” timeframe by ensuring patients are receiving staff attention if provider is Measure vitals, engage in discussions related to HOS questions (urinary incontinence, fall risk, mental health, physical activity), etc.
- Keep patients informed if there is a wait and give them the opportunity to reschedule.
CAHPS Tip Sheet (PDF)
Next Page
Back to Table of Contents
