Payments > Patient Billing

charging for no show appts

<< < (2/5) > >>

Pay_My_Claims:
We always notified the clients prior to scheduling there is a $xx.00 no show fee.

PMRNC:
Verbally letting the patient know is really not enough, it should be in the office policy that the patient receives on their first visit so really a doctor will eat that charge for a new patient that does not show. What I advise my clients to do is send out the new patient information for new patients when their appt is within at least 7 days and the office policy is in there. One of my clients will actually put a sickie note on the office policy bringing their attention to the $35 Late fee.

Pay_My_Claims:
For me JMO, it is enough. When you have clients that are calling and want an appointment NOW!! and for a new patient appointment you overbook 2 established patient slots to accommodate that patient (no time to mail the office policy) and you state ANY MISSED APPOINTMENT IS A $XX.00 fee, and they don't show up is infuriating. The key is just because you charge it does not mean they will pay!! Any office can have a policy for no-shows, but doesn't mean they will get the money. Clients will change PCP's just to circumvent the accumulated deductible they have incurred at one practice. Many go to ER's just to "meet" the deductible. I am very much into customer service, however there are just some things that are patient responsibility.

I agree with you in the fact that no appointment should be scheduled prior to having the client sign the appropriate forms, however 99% of the clients that I have dealt with, don't mail the new patient forms until they come in. Just because we mail it, doesn't mean they got it.

PMRNC:
I should rephrase my original answer.. you can CHARGE the patient, but don't expect to collect it as they will have a legal precedent for not paying it and you won't be able to send it to a collection agency. If the patient wasn't notified in writing they have a clear cut legal basis to which they don't have to pay, so it makes better sense to have them see the office policy. 

Sportsmom:
Our office charges for no-show appts. We charge what the insurancs would pay and the co-pay, but only for patients that have signed a consent stating they understand our policy.
You can not charge a patient for a no-show if they have not signed the office policy.
We send a Welcome letter to our new patients that states they have to call and confirm they will be keeping there new appt if they do not then we take them out of the schedule, it works very well.
We send our patients to collects for no show appt. We had one patient get made and take it to his lawyer and he told the patient because we had him sign the consent for treatment and it stated our no-show policy his lawyer told him he had to pay the bill.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page