Factors Associated With Patient Ratings of Timeliness of Primary Care Appointments

As access is the lowest rated dimension in surveys of outpatient experience, we sought to identify patient, practice, and provider factors associated with positive ratings of timeliness of primary care appointments. A cross-sectional study with multivariable, multilevel logistic regression was performed using survey responses from 236 695 individuals receiving care in the Veterans Health Administration (VA). Top box ratings (response of “always”) for whether the patient reported receiving an appointment as soon as they needed in primary care for routine care and for care needed right away were the main outcomes. Independent variables capturing patient, practice, and provider factors were obtained from survey responses and VA databases. Degree of continuity with primary care provider and duration of relationship were strongly associated with higher ratings. Shorter primary care appointment wait times for both new and returning patients were associated with higher ratings. Independent wait times for mental health and specialty appointments had no effect. Older age, better self-reported physical and mental health, lower disease complexity, and rural residence were patient factors associated with higher ratings while gender, race, ethnicity, and education had little effect. Measures of continuity with primary care provider as well as appointment wait times have strong association with positive patient ratings of appointment timeliness. Patients treated in Veterans Affairs clinics may value continuity with their primary care provider over longer times. Initiatives to improve access could focus on improving continuity and ensuring efforts to improve access do not impact continuity.