Meeting the Demands of the Affordable Care Act: Improving Access to Primary Care.

Abstract

The Affordable Care Act has expanded health coverage to upward of 16.4 million uninsured people.1 Although this has brought needed health care services to millions, it also brought new access challenges to the US health care system. In addition, emerging accountable care health programs create expectations for more convenient access to care. These new contracts often specify same-day access for primary care to reduce preventable visits to emergency departments (EDs). Although the goals of providing the right care to the right patient at the right place and time are important goals, they pose new challenges for primary care. These problems have been compounded by the limited number of new providers choosing careers in primary care. Given these challenges and constraints, what strategies exist for improving patient access to primary care while supporting the goals of continuity and coordination of care? This article outlines strategies being implemented by University of Washington (UW) Medicine and the UW Neighborhood Clinics (UWNC).