New patient access is the ability of a new patient to obtain an appointment at a practice at the desired time and with the requested clinician. Phone management, front desk check-in, referrals and scheduling all play an important role in patient access.

New patients learn about and contact your practice in multiple ways:

• Online search (e.g., Google)
• Websites (e.g., Mass General Brigham, MGH, physician directories)
• Word of mouth
• Insurance provider
• Clinical referral

Wait days are the number of calendar days between the scheduling date and appointment date; this metric is specific to new appointments and consults. (New patient wait days do not consider the time between the initial appointment request and/or referral.) New patient wait days have a direct impact on the patient experience; trends provide insight into a practice’s efficiency and capacity.

New patient access also affects:

• Quality of care
  • A patient’s condition(s) may not be managed appropriately and may worsen because of a delay.
  • A lack of urgent visits could result in unnecessary emergency department (ED) visits.
• Practice growth
  • New patients generally have higher reimbursement rates and often require procedures, surgeries, etc.
  • New patients waiting to be seen may contact another doctor for a more immediate appointment, cancel, or not show up for an appointment.

Standards

• Regularly document, inventory and review the entry points to your practice – including the practice/MGH website, all phone numbers, fax numbers, and Epic referrals.
  • For each entry point, document the process from the time the request is initiated through scheduling.
  • Document the barriers, problem points, strengths of each entry point and associated average turnaround times.

• Assess how accessible the practice is and help identify areas for improvement by keeping track of the following:

Tools and Resources