Patient access priorities for 2026: Tackling wait times, phones, no-shows and more
MGMA’s Stat survey identifies the top patient access challenges medical practices are prioritizing in 2026: reducing wait times, improving phone access, reducing no-shows, streamlining online scheduling, and optimizing provider schedules. The research reflects persistent operational gaps that directly affect patient conversion and retention for multi-site healthcare operators — many of whom have made technology investments without resolving the underlying workflow and staffing constraints driving access problems.
Access failures are conversion failures: every unanswered phone line and multi-week wait feeds a competitor’s schedule. The fixes MGMA outlines — call routing, callback queues, schedule templates — are operational changes, not capital projects.
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What are medical practices’ top patient access priorities for 2026?
In MGMA’s Stat poll, no-shows led at 27%, followed by online scheduling (24%), phone access (22%), and wait times (21%) — persistent operational gaps that directly affect patient conversion and retention.
Why are phones still a bottleneck for practices?
The phone remains the real front door for a large share of patients despite portal and reminder investments. MGMA polling shows the most time-intensive phone tasks are eligibility and prior authorization (45%) and scheduling (31%).
What quick wins reduce phone abandonment and wait times?
Modern call distribution and queueing — callback options, better routing rules, and real-time dashboards — plus schedule templates and same-day/urgent appointment holds, which cut delays without adding providers.