Patient access is fragmented and full of conflicts. EHRs offer limited functionality. Incomplete and hidden data hide available appointments. And digital access remains elusive.
How do we know? We asked. Our team at DexCare analyzed more than 150 conversations we’ve had with health system decision-makers in recent months. The results paint a picture of a patient access landscape rife with contradictions. Read on to learn the seven biggest patient navigation blockers that exist today (and how to solve them).
1. EHRs make customer scheduling journeys harder, not easier
Most health system tech stacks are built around a core EHR. But the market-leading solutions leave something to be desired, executives tell us. Clunky out-of-the-box EHR tools are difficult to use for patients and patient access teams, resulting in a poor user experience for both. In fact, more than 60% of patients have given up trying to find something on their patient portal after 20 minutes of searching.
Integrating solutions into EHRs is difficult, too, often requiring multiple IT resources, which few health systems have at their disposal. This leaves most leaders with a hard choice: deepen their engagement with EHR vendors or choose innovation and create a best-in-class patient navigation strategy with a third-party solutions.
2. The digital front door leads to scheduling dead ends
The promise of early digital front doors has long since faded, C-suite leaders tell us. A recent MGMA poll backs this up, showing that fewer than 1 in 4 patients successfully use digital tools to schedule appointments.
Many traditional tools reveal only limited appointment options, frustrating patients. Disjointed workflows and decision trees create “roads to nowhere,” where patients end up having to dial up a call center to book a visit even though they wanted to self-schedule.
Even if the digital front door works “well enough,” providers’ views and goals on self scheduling and access may differ from those of the C-suite. For example, some providers who are hesitant to adopt direct-to-patient booking workflows, fearing they’ll lose control of their schedules.
3. Operational barriers create piecemeal patient access strategies
Organizational silos, such as disconnects between service line goals and system-wide KPIs, are a persistent problem, making it difficult to create and execute a system-wide digital access strategy. Sometimes, execs say, the problem is the lack of a clear vision across all functional areas. Other times, internal politics or governance changes put patient access priorities on the back burner. Fragmented technology across the organization is another common barrier.
Despite the disconnects, patient navigation is making its way to the top of some health system’s agendas, with 24% of medical groups listing online scheduling as their top patient access focus for 2026.
4. Provider data isn’t ready for prime time
EHR. ERP. Credentialing systems. They all hold provider data, and seldom do they talk with one another. The result, health system leaders tell us, is inaccurate data and a shaky infrastructure that requires unsustainable levels of manual work to maintain. Results from a LexisNexis Risk Solutions report back this up, reporting that 33% of provider directory users have encountered outdated or incorrect information.
Before health systems can offer a clear view of open appointments across providers, locations and modalities, they need to unify their data with a central provider data management (PDM) system.
5. Standardization is elusive
A 30-minute routine wellness exam in one provider’s office may show up as a 20-minute checkup in another’s. These inconsistencies may seem small, but without standard rules for visit types and processes, matching patients to the right care option is out of reach for many executives we spoke with.
Inflexible EHRs built on outdated “find a doctor” searches add to the problem, creating complicated booking processes that don’t match the seamless experiences patients see in other aspects of their lives. LexisNexis found that 21% of provider directory users found it difficult to use their health system’s tools to find a provider.
6. Virtual care is underutilized and problematic
The definition of “digital access” varies across organizations, according to executives. Many health systems — especially those in competitive markets — are rethinking virtual care as a way to bring in more net-new patients. Doing so, however, requires internal buy-in, which is often lacking. For health systems where virtual care is historically underutilized, digital access represents a prime opportunity to balance patient demand with provider availability.
With patients now waiting an average of 31 days for a primary care visit and 42 days for an OB/GYN visit, per AMN Healthcare survey data, virtual can provide instant access and shorten wait times significantly.
7. The potential ROI is uncertain
Health system leaders remain under significant financial pressure, and they’re hesitant to adopt new tools without knowing the clear ROI. Fitch Ratings forecasts that health system margins will rise by only 1% to 2% despite healthy volume trends and strong balance sheets.
In this environment, only solutions that demonstrate immediate revenue growth, cost savings or strategic value make it to the buying team. And for health systems heavily invested in EHR partnerships, adding third-party solutions may not be a fiscal reality.
How to start solving these challenges
Many of the patient access challenges C-suite leaders face today have persisted for years. Yet there is an actionable way to move forward.
Begin by conducting a simple exercise. Visit your hospital website as a patient and document how many clicks it would take for you to book an appointment. Take note of the barriers you experience along the way.
- Is an appointment available within a week, or do all the options weeks or even months out?
- Are all providers (including nurses and APPs) visible, or are only MDs and DOs?
- Can you actually complete the booking online or do you have to call?
This will show you the gaps that exist today.
Next, compare your patient navigation experience to your top competitors. Can their orthopedic surgeons see patients sooner than yours? Do they offer more options for provider types or locations? Can you schedule with fewer clicks? If the answer is yes to any of these, then consider taking action.
And that’s where ROI comes in. If your competitors are doing a better job of matching patients to the right clinician and modality, then you’re likely losing revenue due to patient leakage. When you make it easier for patients to schedule primary, virtual and urgent care visits — from one digital pane of glass — you recapture that lost revenue. You also gain downstream revenue every time that patient needs a new service, such as cardiology or endocrinology.
Navigate a new path toward growth
The 150+ conversations we’ve had with health system leaders make one thing clear: you’re not alone. The complexity of EHR limitations and fragmented care journeys is shared. And with tight margins across the board, improving patient access captures demand earlier and creates sustainable growth. Want to know how to expand your health system using resources you already have? See how a modern patient navigation solution makes it happen.
