Briefly speaking: Same-day doctor appointments

Your doctor will see you — now.

Same-day appointments at Student Health Services have become standard this fall. And those appointments likely will be with a student’s primary care physician.

Campus health officials say the aim is to improve access and continuity of care for students.

“So far, it’s working pretty well, even in the midst of an influenza outbreak,” said Dr. Tom Ferguson, medical director of UC Davis’ Student Health Services.

Under the old plan, only students with urgent-care needs were seen immediately. Others received appointments days later, and there was a 10 percent to 20 percent no-show rate. In the time a student waited for a routine appointment, the problem might have resolved itself.

Another problem with the old system: During the wait, the student developed a long list of other health questions that added to the length of the eventual visit. Today, though, Ferguson said, “Patients know they can get appointments, so they are less harried when they come in and willing to allow the provider to deal with one issue in a short appointment.”

Under the new system, each of UC Davis’ 30,000-plus students is assigned a doctor, whom they can change, if they wish. Since the new plan started Aug. 31, Ferguson said, about 80 percent of patients who call have been able to get same-day appointments with their provider. Among the other 20 percent are students who get seen immediately because of an injury like a broken arm.

Kara Hammond of San Diego, a fourth-year student majoring in Asian American studies, found the new model handy when she went to the health center to get a tuberculosis vaccination because of her work with students in area middle and high schools.

“The new system has been beneficial for me. The same day I called to set up an appointment, I was able to get the shot,” she said. “This allowed me to get started working right away.”

Patients are able to e-mail their primary care provider, which often eliminates the need for follow-up visits.

Students are also encouraged to talk with an advice nurse or make use of Health-e-Messaging. Students can log into e-messaging to request prescriptions, complete forms, view or cancel appointments, get lab results and view billing statements, among other things.