Leadership Message: How we’ll grow access to primary and specialty care in 2026

Dear Colleagues,

Happy New Year! We hope you’ve enjoyed a festive and restorative holiday season.

As we begin 2026, we want to share the Ambulatory Care Division’s priorities to further accelerate access to UC Davis Health’s high-quality care. Our focus remains on improving timely access for employees with UC-sponsored health plans and their dependents, as well as for all new patients.

Our view is simple: patients should be able to receive care when they need it—across both primary and specialty services.

What’s ahead for 2026

Improving specialty access
Last year, we reduced new-patient lag from 24 to 22 days and increased the percentage seen within 10 days from 28% to 30%. In 2026, we’ll expand improvements across more specialties.

Expanding same-day care options
The in-person Express Care Clinic launched at Midtown provides same-day access to primary care services, complementing our virtual Express Care program. The model helps route urgent needs appropriately, reduce avoidable delays and ensure patients can be seen close to home. We will continue to expand Express Care to help patients avoid ED care or worsening of condition when their primary care provider is unavailable.

Streamlining the new-patient pathway
In early 2026, we will launch a dedicated Patient Contact Center team focused on helping new patients establish care and navigate our system. Centralized triage and clearer workflows will reduce bottlenecks, minimize fragmentation and connect patients to the right care team faster.

Growing primary care capacity
The Community Physicians Group primary care team grew by more than 10% in 2025, expanding capacity and supporting improved access across our ambulatory network. Five additional new primary care physicians will join this winter.

Our commitment to new patients

• New patients to UC Davis Health will meet their primary care provider within 90 days.
• New patients who need medication refills or have referral-related questions will be seen within 48 hours.

How we can move access forward—together

Systems and workflows are critical, but timely access ultimately depends on the collective work of our care teams. Small, consistent actions make a meaningful difference:

• Close communication loops quickly by addressing messages and routing decisions promptly.
• Document clearly and completely to reduce rework and prevent scheduling delays.
• Provide patients with clear next steps so they understand what to expect after their visit.
• Speak up about bottlenecks—your perspective is essential to continuous improvement.

Thank you for everything you do to support our patients. Your work has a direct impact on the people we serve. We are committed to making access easier for patients and more workable for care teams, and we appreciate your partnership as we continue this work.

With gratitude,

Debbie Aizenberg, M.D., M.B.A.
Chief Physician Executive, UC Davis Medical Group
Chief Medical Officer, Ambulatory Care

Christina Mintner, M.S.
Senior Vice President & Associate Chief Operating Officer, Ambulatory Care Services