"Meet and greets" in family practice: Who, why, and to what end?

To understand physician acceptance of new patients, specifically the use of "meet and greets"; and to explore FPs' rationale, beliefs, and processes regarding these appointments.

Exploratory qualitative interviews.

Nova Scotia.

A purposive sample of 12 FPs who had previously participated in the Models and Access to Primary Care Providers in Nova Scotia study.

In-depth, semistructured, 1-on-1 qualitative interviews. Interview transcripts were coded using Atlas.ti and analyzed for typologies and common themes regarding accepting practices.

Four typologies of accepting practices emerged: no form of meet and greet; nonscreening meet and greet to gather a history; meet and greet to assess alignment of patient needs and provider scope; and meet and greet to screen out undesirable patients. Typology 1 was subdivided: accepting first-come, first-served and accepting with previous patient knowledge. Rationale for each varied. Family physicians employing typologies 1 and 2 emphasized the importance of equitable access to primary care. Family physicians employing typologies 3 and 4 highlighted the challenges of meeting the needs of specific populations within the context of professional and systemic constraints.

Meet and greets before accepting new patients are purposed differently across providers. Some FPs incorporate these meetings ethically; others present challenges to the principles of equity and nondiscrimination. Policy implications exist for how providers admit new patients and what resources might support more equitable access.