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Impact of Advanced Access Scheduling on Missed Appointment Rates in Primary Care

Helen Yvonne Krippel, Miriam K Ross, Ronald P Hudak

A major problem encountered within outpatient physician offices are missed appointments. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was an association between advanced access scheduling and missed appointment rates for patients scheduled with preferred primary care physicians vis-a-vis non-preferred primary care physicians from a large multispecialty clinic. The health belief model was the conceptual framework because missing a prescheduled appointment is a health behavior. The first and second research questions examined whether there was a statistically significant mean proportion difference between the national no-show rate and the no-show rates of the population samples. The third research question examined the association between the preferred and non-preferred primary care physicians and no-show visit status. Patients prescheduled with primary care providers and over the age of 18 were included in the study, which totaled 4,815 visits. Data were analyzed using one and two sample z test as well as Chi Square test for associations. Study results demonstrated statistically significant mean proportion difference between the national no-show rate and the study and a significant association between physician type and visit status. The results suggested the potential for improved appointment compliance with advanced access scheduling if patients are scheduled with their preferred primary care physician. This study may promote patient care by providing healthcare clinicians and administrators with an understanding of the significance surrounding advanced access scheduling and patient no-show behaviors, thus decreasing missed appointment rates in primary care.