Allowing patients to make appointments and receive care in a timely manner is one way you can develop and maintain a positive health care experience. Pre-visit planning is a great best practice in addressing the measures around access to care that patients comment on for Medicare’s annual patient experience survey. The table below offers tips on ways to address these measures and improve patients’ experiences.
| Patient experience survey question | Pre-visit tip | During the visit tip | Close of visit tip |
| How easy was it to get an appointment with your personal doctor as soon as you needed? | Allow patients to schedule appointments online. | Offer walk-in time slots, telehealth options and/or appointment times outside of regular hours. | Schedule patients’ next appointment at the end of their visit. |
| How long after your scheduled appointment did you wait to see your doctor? | Use text or message boards to let patients know if you’re running behind schedule. Make your waiting rooms inviting, clean and comfortable. Consider adding TVs or giving patients a checklist to prepare for their visit. | Have staff take patients’ vitals within 15 minutes of arrival. Calling in patients right away can break up wait times and help them feel connected. | The patient experience survey asks about wait times—encourage patients to complete the survey if asked. |
| Did you have any difficulty getting a referral to see a specialist from your doctor? | Confirm that a specialist is accepting new patients before making a referral. | Submit prior authorization requests immediately. | Schedule patients’ specialist appointments at the end of their visit. |
Help us understand your appointment availability through our online provider profile. To access your profile, log in to Provider Portal and click the Member Viewer tab. From the Provider Profile Verification menu at the top of the screen, you can see profiles for each provider or location associated with your Provider Portal account. Select a profile, enter updated details, as needed, then click Submit.