New Rules Aim To Whittle Down Doctor Wait Times
LOS ANGELES -California is set to become the first state to limit the time patients must wait to see a doctor.
The Department of Managed Health Care plans to announce Wednesday there will soon be a limit of 10 business days on the appointment time to see a family practitioner. The deadline is 15 days to see a specialist and 48 hours for people seeking urgent care.
In addition, doctors’ offices must return telephone calls within 30 minutes.
The time limits apply only to doctors in health maintenance organizations but officials say that will cover some 21 million Californians.
A 2002 state law mandated timely access to medical care, and the specifics were worked out in years of negotiations with doctors, hospitals, HMOs and consumer groups.
The rules will take effect next year.
