The intent of AC 01 is to assess the access needs and preferences of the practice’s patient population. To identify the best way to obtain this information, practices may need to review how they are currently collecting patient feedback on access needs. For example, a patient survey may ask patients if they are able to get an appointment when needed; however, that question doesn't tell you when patients want to access the practice. The practice may be offering access when the majority of patients don't or aren't able to utilize it.
Practices should collect and assess the feedback from patients to see if there's a need to adjust the access provided to patients. Some questions to consider include:
- What data are you already collecting on patient access (e.g. surveys, use of appointments)? Is it current and does it cover the whole patient population?
- How often do you need to assess the access needs of your patients?
- What variables may impact changes in the use of appointment types?
- If using patient satisfaction surveys, how many patients are actually responding? If the response rate is low, is there another mode of collecting feedback to get more input.
- Do the questions on your survey ask patients directly about their access needs or preferences?
PCMH 2017