IMPROVING ACCESS TO A PRIMARY CARE MEDICAL CLINIC

Patients presenting to an episodic care walk-in clinic often warrant prompt but not necessarily emergency attention. Legitimate reasons often prohibit these patients from attending regularly scheduled daytime weekday clinics. Most patients interviewed thought that having a single primary care provider was important to ensure continuity of care. Access to primary care can be improved by scheduling clinics and ancillary services on nontraditional times and days. Enhanced communication can help patients differentiate routine from urgent from emergency conditions. Printed and audiovisual materials can be used to increase awareness of the benefits of comprehensive care.