TP342 argued that patient access doesn't begin when someone calls for an appointment. It begins much earlier, in the digital layer, before the patient is sure they need care. That premise held. What changed is who owns the layer. Three years ago, the digital layer was something a health system could design, instrument and measure. Today, the patient's first contact happens in a synthesis interface no health system controls.

Chris and Reed revisit TP342 this week with a brief intro that connects Reed's "AI and Access" thesis on LinkedIn to the original argument, an honest update on where the premise held, and a frame for listening back with three years of new context.

In this encore conversation, Chris and Reed cover:

Why patient access doesn't begin at the appointment, and what the real starting point actually is
How digital is reshaping the front door of the health system
Why "scheduling" is the wrong first metric for an access strategy
Where the original argument still holds, and where the synthesis layer changes the picture

If access begins in a layer you don't own, then every digital investment downstream of it is downstream of someone else's interface.

Mentions from the Show:

Original episode: TP342, When Does "Patient Access" Actually Begin? https://touchpoint.health/podcast/tp342-when-does-patient-access-actually-begin/
Reed Smith, "AI and Access in Healthcare" LinkedIn series: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reedtsmith/recent-activity/all/
TP471, Developing a "Route-First" Access Strategy: https://touchpoint.health/podcast/tp471-developing-a-route-first-access-strategy/
TP473, When Demand Outruns Supply: https://touchpoint.health/podcast/tp473-when-demand-outruns-supply/
TP476, Good Enough for People Is Not Good Enough for Machines: https://touchpoint.health/podcast/tp476-good-enough-for-people-is-not-good-enough-for-machines/
Reed Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reedtsmith/
Chris Boyer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisboyer/
Chris Boyer website: http://www.christopherboyer.com/
Chris Boyer on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/chrisboyer.bsky.social
Reed Smith on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/reedsmith.bsky.social

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