Let’s face it. No-shows happen and it’s a drag. If you’re like me, you might have a hard time charging patients when they don’t show up for appointments.  This is especially true when it’s a client I really like.
If you feel challenged by no-shows, check out these tips of things I’ve seen work and some mistakes to avoid as you consider your no-show policy.
- Create a written no-show and cancellation policy. Post this on your front desk, on your website, and also have it be a form that patients read and sign with new patient paperwork. Check out this one for an example:
- Be clear on the exceptions you are willing to make. For instance, we never charge no-show fees for women in labor, patients at the hospital, or acute fever or flus.
- Consider offering a grace appt. We use this when a good client doesn’t show up and we understand that everyone is human and deserves a bit of understanding. When you let them know that it’s a grace you can reiterate your policy at that time eye to eye so that there will be no confusion in the future.
- Make the fee fair. This will of course be up to you to determine. At our clinic we charge half the cash price for late cancellations and no-shows.
- Be consistent. This is a hard one for most sole proprietors. Make sure you keep your policy straight and treat everyone equally. That includes your “friend” clients.
- For certain insurance clients, it’s illegal to charge for no-shows. In this case we give them the three strikes. On the third strike we tell them they can no longer be put on the schedule, but they are welcome to call the day of to check if there are available openings. This one is tricky because you have to track it. Tracking these types of things is easier with online scheduling programs. If you are using paper charts, you can put a certain color sticker on the chart once you have give a strike or a grace to a particular client.
- Have an active waitlist ready to call.  If clients give you short cancellation notice you can use this list to fill the appointment.
- Call them 10-15 minutes after the scheduled appointment time. Sometimes clients just forget, and if you call them, often they’ll head right over and just be a little late. This only works when you have an overflow treatment room or can slide them later in your day. But it’s better than losing that appointment fee completely that day.
- Establish a good way of tracking your no-shows. We have used color coded stickers on charts, notes in our online scheduling or EHR program, and even an alphabetized client list at the front desk. It’s nice to have a record so when you have to have a difficult discussion with a repeat offender, you be ready with dates and information and can show them how many appointments they have been late to or not shown up for.
- Keep credit card info on file for no-shows and have it stated in your policy that patients will be charged a fee if they cancel late or don’t show up for their appointments. You can purchase this form from Acuhub and have it customized with your logo and info.
- Use the time wisely when you have a no-show. Don’t let it get to you and instead be productive in a way that you wouldn’t have had time for otherwise. Work on your marketing, back office organization or something else on your to-do list.
