Appointment Availability

Requirements when scheduling an appointment

When scheduling appointments for First Choice members, you should have an appointment system that follows medical community standards:

• Routine visits for established patients are to be scheduled within 15 business days.
• Care for urgent, non-emergency visits within 48 hours.
• Care for emergent or emergency visits immediately upon presentation at a service delivery site. 
• Waiting times that do not exceed 45 minutes for a scheduled appointment of a routine nature.
• Walk-in patients with non-urgent needs should be seen if possible or scheduled for an appointment consistent with written scheduling procedures. 
• Walk-in patients with urgent needs should be seen within 48 hours.
• 24-hour coverage is to be provided by direct access or through arrangements with a triage system.

If you have any questions about these requirements, please contact your Select Health account executive (PDF). You can also call First Choice Provider Services at 1-800-741-6605.