September 02, 2026
A year ago, 1% of Gastroenterology appointments at Denver Health were scheduled online.
Now, it’s 40%.
That dramatic jump is the result of a larger effort underway at Denver Health, called Access Transformation, to make it easier for patients to schedule appointments quickly on a mobile device.
Denver Health has spent the past few years changing how appointments are opened, scheduled and managed, with improvements already in place across primary care and a growing number of the more than 130 medical specialties available.
MyChart can do more
At the center of many of the changes is MyChart, Denver Health’s online patient portal. When a provider refers a patient to a specific specialty, the patient will receive a scheduling notification in MyChart. Rather than figuring out which clinic to call or waiting on the phone, patients can see available appointments and book one themselves.
The technology helps steer patients to the appropriate clinic, provider and appointment type.
“The goal is really just to make this an easy process,” said Katie Stropich, Denver Health access operations business manager.
More appointments are available
Making scheduling easier only works if appointments are available.
In departments that have implemented the new access improvements, Denver Health has increased available outpatient visits by about 15%. Scheduling is also opening farther into the future. As departments transition to the new system, many schedules are being opened up to six months in advance, making it easier to plan routine and follow-up care.
Self-scheduling without the guesswork
The new system is designed to make self-scheduling simple.
“There are very direct pathways that patients can self-book (an appointment), and there are stops to prevent booking into the wrong clinic with the wrong provider,” said Sarah Roark, MD, director of Denver Health’s Pulmonary Clinic, which was an early adopter of the new Access Transformation initiatives.
That means less time figuring out where to go, whether patients schedule themselves or call the Appointment Center for help.
Skip some of the waiting, too
The improvements don’t stop once an appointment is booked. Patients can increasingly confirm appointments, complete pre-registration and answer questionnaires from their phones before arriving, which can speed up the check-in process. Self-check-in iPads at a growing number of clinics also allow patients to complete the process once they arrive, instead of waiting in line to check in.
“Denver Health is fully committed to improving the patient experience for the long run,” Stropich said. “We are actively growing a dedicated Access Operations team to ensure our community can always get the care they need, when they need it.”
It’s all aimed at respecting patients’ time and making care more accessible. As Stropich said, patients want scheduling to be simple, and they want it to be done.
Denver Health is working to make that possible with a few taps.
