Schoen C, Osborn R, Huynh PT, Doty M, Davis K, Zapert K, Peugh J. Primary care and health system performance: Adults’ experiences in five countries. Health Affairs Web Exclusive. Oct 2004.

This article describes a 2004 Commonwealth Fund international survey of patients’ experiences with doctors in five countries which finds access concerns in all of the surveyed nations. The survey also cites wide variation in wait times to see a doctor when ill.

Houck S
Boulder, Colorado, USA: HealthPress Publishing; 2004

This book includes tools, case studies, and other resources to help clinical office practices identify and improve processes that are wasteful.  It is based on experiences nationwide.

Grumbach K, Bodenheimer T. Can health care teams improve primary care practice? Journal of the American Medical Association. Mar 2004;291(10):1246-1251.

This article describes team work within an office practice setting.  The article specifically tries to answer the question of how team members work together.

Gordon P, Chin M. Achieving a new standard in primary care for low-income populations: Case studies of redesign and change through a learning collaborative. The Commonwealth Fund. 2004.

Dozens of New York City's community health centers have cut their waiting times, become more patient-friendly, and improved their finances in recent years. Their secret? Collaborative learning and an ongoing commitment to sustaining change, this Commonwealth Fund report finds.

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Schall MW, Duffy T, Krishnamurthy A, Levesque O, Mehta P, Murray M, et al. Improving patient access to the Veterans Health Administration's primary care and specialty clinics. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Safety. 2004;30(8):415-423.

Do you want to know what it’s really like to implement open access in your office practice? Read about four cases studies from a primary care clinic and three specialty clinics in the Veterans Health Administration who did it. A team of physicians, nurses, and staff in each site used the principles and methods of open access to reduce waits for appointments for their patients and achieve more professional satisfaction for themselves. 

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Nolan T, Schall M, Berwick DM, Roessner J
Boston, Massachusetts, USA: Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 1996

**NOTE: This Breakthrough Series Guide was published in 1996 and has NOT been updated. Please be advised that much of the clinical content may be out of date.**              This book includes an overview of the Model for Improvement and its application in organizations participating in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Breakthrough Series Collaborative on Reducing Delays and Waiting Times Throughout the Healthcare System. Many concrete examples, inspirational success stories and practical tips, all from health care organizations.

Raddish M, Horn SD, Sharkey PD. Continuity of care: Is it cost effective? American Journal of Managed Care. Jun 1999;5(6):727-734.

This article documents a study testing the correlation between continuity of care and cost-effectiveness in hospitals. The study, which is described in depth, concludes that continuity of care is in fact cost-effective and should still be promoted.

Grandinetti DA. You mean I can see the doctor today? Medical Economics. Mar 2000;77(6):102-114.

This article describes the key points of same day scheduling, also known as Advanced Access, while highlighting some success stories of those who who have implemented it throughout the country. 

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Carlson B. Working too hard, doctor? Poor work flow could be to blame. Managed Care. Jul 2002;11(7):48-49.

In this article, we learn that roughly 50 percent of a physician's day in an office practice is waste.  The article goes on to describe efforts to reevaluate efficiency itself, and then follow proven models to increase efficiency and work flow in the office practice setting. 

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Carlson B. Same-day appointments promise increased productivity. Managed Care. Dec 2002;11(12):43-44.

This article describes the basic principles of the Advanced Access Model for office practices.

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