Why does Select Health monitor wait times?
At Select Health, we are committed to ensuring timely access to care for our members and improving the healthcare experience. As part of our compliance with regulatory and accreditation standards, we are required to distribute and collect appointment wait-times surveys from providers and clinics who see our Medicaid and Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) members. Beyond regulatory requirements, the insights we gain from this data help us:
- Monitor and improve access to care across our network
- Identify gaps in provider availability and capacity
- Enhance member satisfaction and reduce delays in care
- Support quality improvement and value-based care initiatives
How do we collect appointment wait-time data?
Select Health uses two types of appointment wait-time surveys:
- Emailed Surveys: We distribute the Appointment Wait Time Survey for NCQA Accreditation AND Utah State Medicaid compliance standards set by the Department of Health and Services (DHHS). Select Health uses a Qualtrics survey sent to clinic managers for attestation. Once we receive the results, we analyze and summarize key areas for improvement moving forward.
- Telephone Surveys/Secret Shopper Calls: CMS requires both wait-time surveys and secret shopper calls for compliance. Telephone surveys involve random sampling telephone calls initiated by a required third-party vendor of Select Health’s choice. These agents making the calls to clinics pose as new patients needing an appointment as soon as possible.