MISSED APPOINTMENT POLICY

1. Notification of Missed Appointment

• Appointments need to be canceled within 24 business hours of the appointment.
  If the appointment falls on a Monday, the appointment must be canceled by the previous Friday. 

• If a patient misses an appointment without prior notification, they will receive a missed appointment letter.
  The appointment on the provider’s schedule is coded as either a Late Cancellation or a No Show/NoCall and a note is also made in the appointment so he or she is aware of the patient’s missed appointment. For help with determining how to code the appointment, please utilize the Missed Appointment Cheat Sheet located at the end of this policy.
• The provider determines if the patient needs to have the appointment rescheduled.
  If it is determine that the patient needs the appointment rescheduled, the appointment coordinator will communicate with the patient via telephone. If the patient is unreachable by telephone, a letter is sent to the patient, signed by the provider. Three (3) attempts will be made to reschedule the patient’s appointment. If the provider determines a follow-up appointment does not need to be scheduled, a letter is sent to the patient to alert them of the missed appointment.

2. Consequences of Missed Appointments

• First Missed Appointment: A warning letter will be sent to the patient reminding them of the importance of attending scheduled appointments and advising them of our missed appointment policy.
• Second Missed Appointment: A follow-up letter will be sent, once again reminding them of the importance of attending scheduled appointments, Healing Hearts’ Missed Appointment policy, and may include restrictions on future appointments.

• Third Missed Appointment: A final letter will be issued informing the patient that they will be discharged from services and a recommendation that they follow up with their insurance for names of in network providers.

• For more information about sending letters, please utilize the Missed Appointment Cheat Sheet located at the end of this policy.

3. Fees for Missed Appointments

• A Late Cancellation fee for missed appointments will be assessed if the patient fails to provide at least 24 hours’ notice. The fee structure will be communicated to the patients when they call to late cancel an appointment (if applicable) and outlined in the Financial Responsibility Agreement they sign.

4. Exemptions

• Certain circumstances may exempt a patient from fees or penalties, including emergencies or unforeseen situations.
• Patients with Medicaid as either a primary, secondary or tertiary insurance (regardless if it is straight Medicaid or a Medicaid HMO) cannot be charged the Late Cancellation fee.

5. Responsibilities

• Patients: It is the responsibility of the patient to attend scheduled appointments or notify the office of any need to cancel or schedule.
• Staff: Office staff will monitor missed appointments, send notifications, and manage rescheduling requests.
• Therapist: The therapist will communicate with the appointment coordinator on whether or not the patient needs to be rescheduled..
• Clinic Mentor: follow up with therapist to address their high cancellation rate as needed.

6. Contact Information

• For questions or concerns about this policy or missed appointments, please contact your Clinic Manager.