Murray M, Tantau C. Redefining open access to primary care. Managed Care Quarterly. 1999;(3):45-55

Over the last decade the term access has been used to describe the ease with which insured populations receive care. This has become a significant market issue and continues to be an important clinical issue. This article suggests that relying on clinical definitions of good access is no longer useful. The authors recommend a definition based on the patient's perspective: "The ability to seek and receive care from the provider of choice at the time the patient chooses."

Kilo CM, Triffletti P, Tantau C, Murray M. Improving access to clinical offices. Journal of Medical Practice Management. 2000;16(3):126-32.

Optimal access to office care requires a detailed understanding of a practice's capacity to provide care and demand for services.

Murray M, Berwick DM. Advanced access: Reducing waiting and delays in primary care. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2003;289(8):1035-40.

Delay of care is a persistent and undesirable feature of current health care systems.

Murray M, Bodenheimer T, Rittenhouse D, Grumbach K. Improving timely access to primary care: Case studies of the advanced access model. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2003;289:1042-1046.

The advanced access model of patient scheduling is based on the core principle that if the capacity to provide patient appointments balances the demand for appointments, patients calling to see their physician are offered an appointment the same day.

Murray M, Berwick DM. Advanced Access: Reducing waiting and delays in primary care. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2003;289(8):1035-1040.

Although delay seems to be inevitable and linked to resource limitations, it often is neither; rather, it is usually the result of unplanned, irrational scheduling and resource allocation.