POLICY
To notify patients of a possible financial penalty for failure to cancel a scheduled appointment. All offices will document in the medical record when a patient no shows an appointment or cancels an appointment on short notice.

Failure to give 24 hour notice of cancellation of an appointment or no-showing an appointment can result in a charge of $25.00 on the patient's account. Patients should be advised of this when scheduling their appointment. This charge cannot be billed to the insurance company. Failure to pay a no show fee will be treated according to our policy on unpaid balances, with the exception of collection accounts.

Medical care will not be withheld for a medical emergency. No showing (3) appointments can result in the patient being discharged from the practice, at the physician's discretion.

PURPOSE
To make the patient aware that missed appointments have an impact on the physician's schedule as well as possible health risks for the patient.

PROCEDURE
I. Documentation

• All missed appointments will be documented in the patients' medical record.
• A copy of any correspondence will be kept in the patients' medical record.
• All no show policies will be enforced on a "by site" basis and not individual physicians within a site.
• Enter the no show in the appoint module.
• When posting the charge, enter "no show" and a $25.00 charge will automatically appear.

II. Notification
All patients will be notified of our no show policy through:

• At the time of making their appointment, and at appointment confirmation.
• Posted signs in the office waiting area and/or exam rooms
• As appointment cards are reprinted, it will be written on the card that a charge "could be" incurred for failure to cancel or late cancellation.
• Patients may be warned that they have violated the policy by phone, or in letter form, if the physician so chooses. (See Below)

 

SAMPLE FORM
(WARNING)

Dear ______________,

It has been noted in your chart that you have been unable to keep several scheduled appointments with our office. We ask you to show consideration by calling well in advance if you are unable to keep an appointment. We would like to have the option to offer that appointment to another patient who needs to see the doctor. Please let this letter serve to notify you that if you fail to give us a 24 hour notice of cancellation in the future, there will be a $25.00 cancellation fee billed to your account that cannot be filed to your insurance.

We are concerned that you may not be receiving proper medical care because of these missed appointments. Please call if you are still experiencing problems. We value you as a patient.

Sincerely,

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