Your doctor will see you -- now.

Same-day appointments at Student Health Services at UC Davis have become standard this fall. And those appointments likely will be with a student's primary care physician.

The care model, known as "open access," is a growing trend in community primary care but different from the traditional approach used by most college health centers, says Michelle Famula, director of Student Health Services. UC Davis adopted the model to improve access and continuity of care for students.

"So far, it's working pretty well, even in the midst of an influenza outbreak," said Tom Ferguson, medical director of the student health center on the Davis campus.

UC Davis piloted the open access system this summer, and timing was right for full implementation this fall, Famula said. The student health center, which serves a student body of 31,000-plus students and has more than 49,000 patient visits a year, now has enough primary care providers, and more students consider it their primary care facility. The center has eight physicians, three nurse practitioners, and the equivalent of seven full-time nurses.

Under the old care system, only students with urgent-care needs were seen immediately. Others received appointments days later, and there was a 10 percent to 20 percent no-show rate. In the time a student waited for a routine appointment, the problem might have resolved itself. Or, during the wait, the student may have developed a long list of other health questions that added to the length of the eventual visit.

Today, though, Ferguson said, "Patients know they can get appointments, so they are less harried when they come in and willing to allow the provider to deal with one issue in a short appointment."

Under the new system, each student is assigned a doctor, whom they can change, if they wish. Since the new plan started Aug. 31, Ferguson said, about 80 percent of patients who call have been able to get same-day appointments with their provider. Among the other 20 percent are students who are seen immediately because of an injury like a broken arm.

Kara Hammond of San Diego, a fourth-year student majoring in Asian American studies, found the new model handy when she needed to get a tuberculosis vaccination because of her work with students in area middle and high schools.

"The new system has been beneficial for me. The same day I called to set up an appointment, I was able to get the shot," she said. "This allowed me to get started working right away."

Patients are able to e-mail their primary care provider, which often eliminates the need for follow-up visits.

Students are also encouraged to consult with an advice nurse or make use of Health-e-Messaging, an online service for requesting prescriptions, completing forms, viewing or canceling appointments, getting lab results and viewing billing statements, among other things.