Letters to the Editor

Bassett Responds

As I frequently hear from our patients (many of whom are family, friends, and neighbors) it’s often difficult to schedule an appointment with Bassett. Not a day goes by that I don’t hear from a patient or family member about their challenging experience accessing care, and a recent editorial published by one of our community members in this newspaper really hit home.

Long hold times, dropped calls, unreliable customer service, limited appointment availability, and other access issues have created unsatisfactory experiences for a long time. More than 30 percent of Bassett’s inbound calls are abandoned by our patients. And in some areas of our health system, it can take months to see a practitioner. We are failing our patients and hurting our organization and we cannot allow this to continue. Our ability to grow and advance our mission hinges on creating a seamless and accessible patient experience.

It’s time we make some significant changes.