Missed Appointments
I’m sitting here staring at the walls at the moment because a patient didn’t bother to show up for her visit that was booked for an hour. Ms Noshow also didn’t bother to cancel. Princess called her twice yesterday and again this morning to remind her that she had an appointment. The current phone number went to voice mail.
She has been a patient for a little over a year. I have at least 5 different phone numbers in her chart. There are multiple notes in this patient’s chart about leaving messages, phone not being turned on, and her phone not being in service. It helps to write this down, so Ms Noshow can’t say we didn’t try.
PEOPLE! What happened to common courtesy? It doesn’t matter whether it’s a 5 minute visit or a 2 hour visit – that time was reserved for you. If you’re not coming, you should call. It has gotten to be so common for people to forget that most offices call one or two days in advance to remind people.
Several years ago, I finally instituted a charge for this. Princess and I agree that wasting our time needs to be paid for. Some people don’t pay the charge. We don’t see them ever again. Sigh.
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