No. In Experian Health's 2026 State of Patient Access survey, 46% of providers said patient access improved over the past year, but only 18% of patients said so. That is a 28-point gap between the two groups.
Experian Health surveyed more than 1,000 patients and more than 200 healthcare providers and revenue cycle leaders in early 2026 and released the results on March 24, 2026. The report does not publish per-question sample sizes, so treat each percentage as a share of the whole patient group or the whole provider group.
How far apart providers and patients are
Provider optimism grew faster than patient optimism. Providers who said access improved rose from 36% in 2025 to 46% in 2026, a 10-point increase. Patients who said access improved rose from 16% to 18%, a 2-point increase.
Patients mostly saw no change. According to Experian's March 2026 write-up, 64% of patients said their access experience matched the prior year. In Experian's May 6, 2026 follow-up, an equal 18% of patients said access got better and 18% said it got worse.
Medical Economics covered the survey on April 6, 2026. It quoted Mindy Fortson of Experian Health on the cause: "I think the disconnect is really caused by the way that patients and providers are measuring outcomes." Medical Economics described providers as tracking staffing and digital adoption, and patients as tracking cost and wait times.
| Measure | 2026 | 2025 | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Say access is better than last year | 46% | 36% | Providers |
| Say access is better than last year | 18% | 16% | Patients |
| Say staffing shortages reduce access | 64% | 57% | Providers |
| Name access to practitioners as top challenge | 27% | Same top rank for four years | Patients |
Source: Experian Health, 2026 State of Patient Access survey, March 24, 2026.
What patients say blocks them
Access to practitioners was the top patient-reported challenge for the fourth year in a row, named by 27% of patients. Experian also found that 36% of patients had difficulty getting authorization for a procedure. Another 28% had care delayed by insurance verification problems.
Providers see the cost side as well. In the same survey, 73% of providers said patients at least occasionally delay or forfeit care when they cannot get a cost estimate. Medical Economics also reported that 50% of patients find their health plan details nearly impossible to understand, a figure it attributed to the Experian survey.
Medical Economics placed the survey beside two outside data points. It cited the PAN Foundation's 2025 report, which gave overall health care access a C grade (75.2) and access through health plans a D- (63.1). It also cited the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, which found that about 17% of adults, roughly 1 in 6, delayed or went without medical care, mental health care, or prescription drugs because of cost in 2024.
An administrator can check these numbers against a practice's own data. Prior authorization turnaround and verification errors both show up in scheduling delays and in the claims that later deny. A practice that tracks the share of visits rescheduled for coverage reasons has a direct local version of the 28% figure.
What providers say limits access
Staffing leads the provider list. Experian found that 64% of providers said staffing shortages reduce patient access, up from 57% in 2025. A further 39% said insufficient staff training hurts access. Regulatory changes were named by 36% of providers as an obstacle for patients.
Providers are adding tools in response. Experian's report page says 68% of providers have enabled online pre-registration, and 28% have used AI to improve the speed and accuracy of data collection. Experian's blog said about two-thirds of organizations investing in digital, mobile, or self-service scheduling credit those tools for improvements. Separately, 35% of providers called automation non-negotiable, and 28% said the same of AI.
Verification results improved. Experian's blog reported that 74% of providers rated their insurance verification as effective, up from 54% a year earlier. That 20-point rise is larger than the 10-point and 7-point rises in the access and staffing figures above.
Payment strain and cost estimates
Patients reported more financial pressure than relief. In the survey, 32% of patients said paying for healthcare had worsened since last year, 14% said it had improved, and 54% said it stayed the same. Among patients who reported a worse experience, 55% cited affordability.
The providers in the survey saw the same strain. Experian reported that 57% of providers said patients occasionally struggle to pay, and 36% said patients often struggle. Among patients, 63% said they would feel more confident with tailored payment plans.
Estimates helped. Of patients whose payment experience improved or held steady, 40% credited knowing the cost of care in advance and 25% credited submitting registration information before the visit. Experian also found that mobile-delivered estimates rose by 18 points. In the same survey, 45% of patients received a cost estimate, up from 41% in 2025. Of those who received one, 71% found it easy to understand, up from 60%. The share who said their final bill was much more expensive than the estimate fell from 44% to 26%. On the patient side, 82% said an accurate estimate helps them prepare to pay.
Experian's May 6, 2026 report page counted 18% of patients reporting better access and 18% reporting worse, and described improvement as stalled.
Sources
- Experian plc, Experian Health's 2026 State of Patient Access Survey, March 24, 2026
- Experian Health, State of Patient Access 2026 report page, 2026
- Experian Health, The State of Patient Access 2026, March 24, 2026
- Experian Health, Patient access in 2026: Cost and complexity reshape the patient journey, May 6, 2026
- Medical Economics, Why your patients feel like they can't get an appointment, April 6, 2026
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