Advertisement

A Search for Faster Access

At UHS, Rapid Aid Is Hard to Obtain for Most Students

In the east wing of the third floor, a group of doctors is hatching a plan that may change the way students access care. The rapid access appointment system, these doctors say, breaks down too much, and is routinely changed as nurses and support staff go along.

Some say they have already informally developed an urgency-based scheme with "medium short" appointments--15-minute visits which are flexible and particularly good for follow-ups.

The future may hold bold, new changes in the future that will affect access: a brand new flexible plan for appointments; more educational programs to link students with primary care physicians; broad changes to the UHS floor plan.

For now, UHS administrators, including Rosenthal, seem content to tinker with a system that everyone knows is broken. Some wonder if this is what Dana Farnsworth had in mind.

"It's frustrating for me," says Rosenthal. "Students can do things. I'm available."

Advertisement

The University Health Services terminated its walk-in clinic in 1990, replacing it with a system of rapid access appointments designed to end patients' hours-long waits. But many students and doctors say that system has failed to curb the problem, leaving many patients disgruntled. They want UHS to embark on...

Have you ever visited University Health Services?  Yes  81%How easy is it to obtain routine medical care at UHS?Very Difficult  4%Somewhat Difficult  22Somewhat Easy  21Very Easy  15Don't Know  2

Advertisement