At a glance
Experian Health’s latest State of Patient Access 2026 survey captures how patients and providers feel patient access has changed over the past year. This article highlights where progress is most visible, along with opportunities for further improvement, such as citation speed, financial clarity, and baseline data accuracy.
Key takeaways:
- 46% of providers say patient access has improved, but most patients report little change, with timely appointments their top concern for the fourth year in a row.
- Nearly a third of patients say paying for care is worse than last year, with affordability and lack of cost clarity driving dissatisfaction.
- Digital tools are improving patient access. More patients are receiving accurate digital cost estimates and providers are prioritizing insurance searches and authorizations, which will increase accuracy and reduce delays.
Is healthcare finally getting adequate access to patients? Experian Health State of Patient Access Report 2026 reveals encouraging signs of progress, with 46% of providers saying patient access is better than 12 months ago.
At the same time, there are always opportunities to do more. Economic stress, regulatory uncertainty, and persistent staffing shortages continue to strain patient access teams, while consumer expectations for fast, convenient care are rising. Providers are responding by investing more in automation and digital intake solutions, and it appears to be working.
Based on responses from more than 1,000 patients and 200 healthcare decision makers surveyed in early 2026, the report provides an analysis of the non-clinical patient experience. This article highlights key trends in patient access by 2026.
Download the report for comprehensive healthcare insights into patient and provider perspectives, including key priorities and challenges.
Patients See Some Progress, But Many Still Struggle to Get Care Quickly
| Key findings: |
| – 18% of patients believe patient access has improved, compared to 46% of providers. |
| – 64% of patients say their patient access experience is approximately the same as last year. |
Overall, most patients have not experienced a dramatic change in patient access. The investments appear to keep performance stable and improve internal operations, but they are not transforming the patient experience at scale.
There is a small increase in the number of patients who think access has improved, but the same number think it is getting worse, with both groups now at 18%.
The most important factor behind positive and negative perceptions is whether patients can see their doctor quickly. This has been the most commonly reported challenge by patients for four consecutive years, making it one of the clearest opportunities for improvement.
For providers, staffing shortages are the main reason access is worse. Organizations that have invested in Digital, mobile and self-service programming. report better results, and about two-thirds attribute improvements to these tools.
Paying for care remains a major stressor for patients
| Key findings: |
| – 32% of patients say paying for care is worse than last year, while 14% say it is better. |
| – 55% of those reporting a worse payment experience cite affordability. |
Even when patients get a timely appointment, the cost of care can put them off. Fewer than two in five patients are confident in their ability to pay, and many say they are likely to postpone care if costs seem unmanageable.
The survey suggests that improving financial clarity can help. About three in ten patients say that not understanding costs or coverage before treatment made their experience worse. By contrast, 49% of those who see improvements say it’s because they understand what their insurance covers, and 40% say knowing the cost of care up front makes paying easier.
When costs are predictable and patient payment options are convenient and flexible, patients are more likely to continue with treatment and pay sooner. This supports better clinical outcomes and a better patient experience throughout the revenue cycle.
Estimates are more common and more precise.
| Key findings: |
| – 45% of patients received an estimate of the cost of care, compared to 41% in 2025. |
| – 71% said their estimate was easy to understand, up from 60% in 2025. |
Trends in healthcare price transparency are moving in the right direction. More patients say they received pre-service estimates than last year, and more receive them digitally, with a clear breakdown of costs. The survey shows an 18-point increase in the number of people receiving estimates sent directly to their mobile devices.
Accuracy is also improving. Last year, 44% of patients said their final bill was “much more expensive” than their estimate. This year, that figure fell to 26%. Providers are closing the gap between expectations and reality, which will help build patient confidence.
To take advantage of this, providers need estimates based on verified coverage and current pricing data. Experian Health Patient Payment Estimates The solution uses real-time insurance information, payer contract terms, and provider pricing to generate personalized out-of-pocket estimates before the patient receives care. Quotes can be sent digitally along with options for suitable payment plans and convenient payment methods.
Providers’ Top Patient Access Challenges Are Insurance Discovery and Automation
| Key findings: |
| – 86% of providers say a faster and more complete review of coverage is urgent. |
| – 84% say that automating authorizations is urgent. |
As patients seek faster access and greater financial clarity, providers are focusing on authorization and insurance processes that cause delays and errors. Improving the speed, accuracy and completeness of patient insurance searches is the top provider challenge, selected by 39% of providers.
Part of the reason is that the complexity of coverage is increasing. Political reforms such as Law on a big and beautiful bill These changes are expected to create greater uncertainty, particularly around Medicaid enrollment.
Despite this pressure, trust in verification processes is improving. Seventy-four percent of providers now rate their insurance verification as effective, up from 54% last year. This may reflect increasing use of automation, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve patient data collection at the time of registration.
Better front-end data has knock-on benefits to downstream revenue cycle operations, including faster intake, fewer denials, and increased staff productivity. Experian Health Patient Access Curator™ (PAC) supports these goals by using automation and artificial intelligence to verify eligibility, coordination of benefits, demographic information, Medicare beneficiary identifiers, and insurance coverage in seconds. This helps avoid denials before claims are submitted, directly linking initial accuracy to revenue performance.
More details on patient access trends to watch in 2026 can be found in the full report.
Frequently asked questions
According to Experian Health’s State of Patient Access 2026 report, the biggest patient access challenges for providers include the speed and accuracy of insurance searches, getting patients to use digital access tools, efficiently managing authorizations, and staffing shortages.
The biggest access challenge for patients is being able to see their doctor quickly, make appointments, understand the cost of care and whether they can afford it. The report details the full findings.
Most patients rely on accurate, up-front cost estimates to decide whether to continue care, and many say they would delay or cancel treatment without one. Clear patient estimates improve confidence and reduce billing surprises.
Data from Experian Health highlights that automation, digital self-service tools, and artificial intelligence technology are helping providers improve insurance discovery, streamline admission, strengthen patient data collection, and reduce administrative burden across the revenue cycle.
Download the State of Patient Access Report 2026 for full survey results.