As part of Sutter Health’s strategic vision to become the most comprehensive, integrated and connected health system for getting and staying well, improving access to care emerged as a top organizational priority. Leadership recognized that while Sutter had a long-standing reputation for high-quality, compassionate care, patients and care teams were navigating increasingly complex scheduling processes and fragmented coordination. Rising consumer expectations for convenience underscored the urgency to simplify and modernize Sutter’s scheduling experience.

In mid-2024, Sutter’s Access to Care team presented a plan to rapidly improve patients’ and care teams’ scheduling experience to the system’s Physician Strategy Cabinet, comprised of its affiliated medical groups’ presidents/CEOs and board chairs. The group agreed to a systemwide standard expectation for online scheduling enablement for new and returning patients across family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics, as well as for return-visit scheduling across all other specialties. The decision marked both an operational and cultural turning point, driving stronger systemwide collaboration and accountability around improving the access experience for both patients and care teams.

Sutter addressed a critical operational need: enabling patients to book appointments efficiently without overburdening call centers or experiencing friction-filled processes. Prioritizing online scheduling aligned with the enterprise-wide goal of creating a seamless, digital experience that provides connected, convenient access for patients and enhances care team efficiency. Equally important, the new expectation quickly shifted organizational norms by positioning access initiatives as a shared responsibility. It underscored that improving access was a collective priority, no longer optional or limited to certain departments.