ENT, Ltd., bills a portion of their fees up front. “We collect a $50 deposit when the appointment is rescheduled,” said Chabot. “If they show, it is applied to their bill or refunded.”
Explore This Issue
August 2018Firing a Patient
Chronically missed appointments may lead to the patient being “fired.” This is addressed in your no-show policy and notice. The methods and notifications for implementing this policy are the same as terminating a patient for other reasons.
“Being diligent is very important,” said Williams. “You have to follow up, be consistent, and send out the reminders. Every step in the process is critical.”
Kurt Ullman is a freelance medical writer based in Indiana.
HNeed to Fill No Shows or Cancellations? There’s an App for That
Filling empty slots in your schedule is an important way to deal with no shows. “I was frustrated about scheduling in my own practice,” said Brian A. Kaplan, MD, a physician at Ear, Nose & Throat Associates at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. “There were long waits for people to see me, but I had late cancellations or no shows. There were probably 100 people wanting those times, but no way to connect with them.” In response, Dr. Kaplan co-founded Everseat, a cloud-based patient appointment-scheduling app.
Everseat ties in with most scheduling programs and takes information on open appointments in real time and sends it to patients who have downloaded the app. The first person to claim the time is seen by the physician. “Open slots are filled in seconds and not minutes with the app,” said Dr. Kaplan. “We have had patients in the examination room within minutes of the posting.”
The program requires almost no staff time, and providers pay a low monthly fee.