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Reducing no-shows
- Q. Any suggestions for reducing our patient no-shows?
- A. Start with assessing your practice’s process for how appointments are made and confirmed. Consider at least a 24-hour advance reminder and confirmation call to scheduled patients. You might start collecting patients’ email addresses or cell phone numbers so you can send out reminders via email or text message. While this costs staff time, the benefits of a filled chair will far outweigh any staff costs. Begin informing patients of your policies regarding missed appointments. Display your office policy for missed appointments and add the message to any phone recordings. Charge a fee when patients do not cancel their appointments within a specified time frame or cancel on short notice without good reason. Finally, periodically evaluate how your staff are administering the office policy. This may be an area where staff retraining or reminders are needed.