Beginning January 17, 2011, a new timely access regulation will go into effect in California that rquires HMO doctors to see patients with non-urgent care needs within 10 business days of the patient’s request for an appointment. For requests to see a specialist, patients must be seen within 15 business days of the request. Patients seeking urgent care that does not require prior authorization must be seen within 48 hours (96 hours for urgent care iif it requires prior authorization). Visit Timely Access to Care to learn more about this new regulation.