Improving patient access

A patient's ability to get through to, or get in to see, a medical care provider can impact a practice's standing in the community and patient base. Market volume is there for the taking by organizations that can gain a truly differentiated position through service excellence. Medical organizations potentially lose patients for reasons that have nothing to do with actual clinical care; they lose patients because of the experiences those patients must endure to access that care. The dimensions that influence patient access and customer service include telecommunications systems, daily clinic operations, understanding process improvement, provider availability and measurements and standards.