By Julie A. Jacob , AMNews staff. Jan. 29, 2001. That scenario isn't just wishful thinking.
Patients love it because they can get in when they actually are sick.
Physicians say they like it, too, because patients are happier, their productivity has increased, their daily patient load has dropped and revenue has remained stable or has even increased. Kaiser Permanente pioneered the open access system, also called advance access, a few years ago in northern California. It was developed by Mark Murray, MD, who formerly headed the Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center's family practice department. When Kaiser began analyzing its operating procedures in the mid-1990s, it became clear that Kaiser patients hated having to schedule appointments months in advance, said Dr. Murray. But we were two months late.