ArticleAnnals of internal medicine2008
Implementing open-access scheduling of visits in primary care practices: a cautionary tale.
Article in Annals of internal medicine, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
39 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 118 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association of Advanced Access With Primary Care Performance: A Systematic Review.Annals of family medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Eight Priorities for Improving Primary Care Access Management in Healthcare Organizations: Results of a Modified Delphi Stakeholder Panel.Journal of general internal medicine · 2020Pooled it
- Interventions to reduce wait times for primary care appointments: a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2017Pooled it
- Advanced access scheduling outcomes: a systematic review.Archives of internal medicine · 2011Pooled it
- A Delphi panel consensus study validating the appropriateness, relevance, and clarity of quality measures for chiropractic care.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Assessing and Improving Productivity in Primary Care: Proof of Concept Results for a Novel Value-Based Metric.Journal of general internal medicine · 2024Article
- Evaluation of no-show rate in outpatient clinics with open access scheduling system: A systematic review.Health science reports · 2024Article
- Factors influencing French community pharmacists' willingness to participate in research projects: a mixed method study.BMC primary care · 2023Article
- Associations Between Primary Care Providers and Staff-Reported Access Management Challenges and Patient Perceptions of Access.Journal of general internal medicine · 2023Article
- Health care overbooking cost minimization model.Heliyon · 2023Article
- Characterizing No-shows in the Omani Primary Healthcare Setting.Oman medical journal · 2023Article
- Neurology Access Clinic: A Model to Improve Access to Neurologic Care in an Academic Medical Center.Neurology. Clinical practice · 2022Article
- Changing nursing practice within primary health care innovations: the case of advanced access model.BMC nursing · 2020Article
- Evaluation of the implementation and associated effects of advanced access in university family medicine groups: a study protocol.BMC family practice · 2020Article
- Modified open-access scheduling for new patient evaluations at an academic chronic pain clinic increased patient access to care, but did not materially reduce their mean cancellation rate: A retrospective, observational study.Journal of clinical anesthesia · 2017Observational
- Cancelled Primary Care Appointments: A Prospective Cohort Study of Diabetic Patients.Journal of medical systems · 2017Article
- What Are the Factors Influencing Implementation of Advanced Access in Family Medicine Units? A Cross-Case Comparison of Four Early Adopters in Quebec.International journal of family medicine · 2017Article
- Appointment Lead Time Policy Development to Improve Patient Access to Care.Applied clinical informatics · 2016Article
- The Development of Patient Scheduling Groups for an Effective Appointment System.Applied clinical informatics · 2016Article
- The Effects of Negative Reinforcement on Increasing Patient Adherence to Appointments at King Abdullah University Hospital in Jordan.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financing · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOpen-access scheduling (also known as advanced access or same-day access) is a popular tool for improving patient access to primary care appointments.
objectiveTo assess the effect of open-access scheduling and describe the barriers to implementing the open-access scheduling model in primary care.
designCase series.
settingBoston, Massachusetts, metropolitan area.
participants6 primary care practices studied from October 2003 through June 2006.
interventionImplementation of open-access scheduling. MEASUREMENTS: Time to third available appointments, no-show rates, and patient and staff satisfaction with appointment availability.
results5 of 6 practices were able to implement open-access scheduling. Within 4 months of implementation, these 5 practices substantially reduced their mean wait for third available appointments from 21 to 8 days for 15-minute visits and from 39 to 14 days for 30-minute visits. However, none of the 5 practices attained the goal of same-day access, and waits for third available appointments increased during 2 years of follow-up. No consistent changes in patient or staff satisfaction or patient no-show rates were found. Barriers to implementation included decreases in appointment supply from provider leaves of absence and departures and increases in appointment demand when practices reopened to new patients after initial implementation of open-access scheduling. LIMITATIONS: The study lacked control practices. The small number of practices and providers precluded formal statistical comparisons.
conclusionIn 5 of 6 primary care practices, implementation of open-access scheduling improved appointment access in some practices. However, none was able to achieve same-day access and patient and staff satisfaction and patient no-show rates were unchanged. Broader evaluation of open-access scheduling in primary care is needed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.