Californians will have faster access to doctors, by law

Have you ever had to wait a few weeks to see your doctor? If you live in California and belong to an HMO, that could soon change. Following years of negotiations among state officials, doctors, insurance companies and consumer and health care activists, California could become the first state to set time limits for doctors to see patients.

The new regulations, to go into effect in January 2011, require family doctors in HMO networks to see patients seeking an appointment within 10 business days. A specialist will have 15 days. However, there is one big out: Doctors can extend this waiting period if they determine that it won’t harm their patient’s health.

Consumer groups applaud the change, saying that the new regulations will give people with HMO health insurance plans more timely access to care and reduce unnecessary use of the emergency room. But doctors say that the new regulations will be a challenge. They claim that HMOs will only be able to comply if they hire more staff.

I wonder if doctors will become overwhelmed by appointments and drop out of HMO networks, ultimately putting more burden on who stays in.