Provider Availability Standards

Priority Health has set standards for our members' accessibility to health care: appointments, urgent care, returning calls, and waiting to see a provider. These are set out in the chart below.

Related Information:

• How to provide after-hours care
• Requirements for office locations
  

Patient Request	Acceptable Time Frame
Emergency care	Immediately or within 24 hours, depending on nature of illness (Medical) Immediately (Behavioral Health, life-threatening) Within 4 hours (Behavioral Health, non-life-threatening)
Urgent care	Two days or less (Medical)* Within 24 hours (Behavioral Health)
Appointments for routine or regular care	30 business days (Medical)* 14 business days (Medical, for Medicaid members) 10 business days (Behavioral Health)
Physical exam/preventive care	90 business days or less*
Return phone calls (during business hours)	4 hours or less (Medical) Reach a non-recorded voice in 25 seconds or less (Behavioral Health only)
Return phone calls (after hours)	2 hours or less 10 minutes or less (Behavioral Health only)
Waiting time in office	20 minutes or less (average)

Read the Medical Accessibility Standards, including the methodology for determining acceptability.

Read the Behavioral Health Accessibility Standards, including the methodologies for determining acceptability.

* Standards vary under our Physician Incentive Program.