Does your doctor/dentist have this policy?

[Connie of Trenton]

Yes, our dental office has that policy posted as well. I also understand by a former employee that it really began to handle those repeat offenders. So in a case of illness, etc. I don't believe one would have to worry. In other words the office has some flexibility.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

Oh my, yes. The derm office I work for does this because we have at least 5-10 patients a day who will not call and cancel. Those spots sit "dead in the water", and we are always having people calling wanting to know if we have cancellations so they can come in....but we really DON'T have cancellations.

However, I have been on the receiving end of the $25 cancellation policy. In April, I had an appt set up for my dd to get her yearly shots, but the morning of the appt she woke up with a stomach flu. I knew they wouldn't give her the shots when she was sick, so I called and ATTEMPTED to cancel the appt. Hers was at 8 a.m. From 6:30 a.m. until 8:10 a.m. I called and called and called, but the phone was still in nightmode. At 8:10, someone FINALLY picked up (the office officially opened at 7) and told me that because I did not call prior to 8, I would have to pay the $25. I'm pretty irked with this, because a)she wasn't sicl Sunday night and b) even if she was, there is no message maching to leave the info on.

Oh well. Live and learn, I guess.

 

[Jeanny]

a little off-topic, but my hair stylist has a policy if you have 3 no-call, no-shows they have the right to refuse to book another appointment for you. It's one thing if you're sick, but if you keep "forgetting" your appointment is another .... they've been waiting for a person to show up while others are waiting (either early or with someone else who is in the other chair). They've gone ahead and started the one waiting and will make the one who is late wait (if they even show up at all!!!!).

 

[BeckWhy]

I know some doctors who will charge you whatever the appt would have cost if you cancel within 24h.

 

[lclark0621]

Just about all of my doctors have that policy. I have NEVER blown off any appointment for no reason. I very rarly miss ones, but when I do have to cancel, they are always for real reasons.

I have never paid the fees though. Besides me always having real reasons, I tell them "If you can tell me the last time my appointment started ON time, I will pay the fee." I have never been to an doctor's visit, where I saw the doctor AT THE TIME I was scheduled to, and I always try & get there 15 minutes or so early.

When they can start keep actual appointment times & not having me sit in the waiting room forever, then sit in the little room waiting even LONGER with no magazines, THEN I will pay a fee if I have to miss an appointment.

 

[Andrea]

yes it has become very common.. in fact my old tanning bed place if i missed an apt. with them it was a 10.00 fee

 

[disneysnowflake]

All the dentists in my area will charge you the actual appointment cost if you don't show up or cancel more than 24 hours in advance.

Our doctor office has a notice they will charge $50 if you don't give 24 hours notice.

My son had his teeth cleaned and a checkup last week. It cost me either $70 or $75. I can't remember right now. If we didn't show up or didn't cancel before 24 hours we'd have to pay that full fee.

I know several dentists who send these bills to patients. If they aren't paid in full in 90 days they send them to the local district magistrate for collection.

 

[Becky2005]

I really don't know if ours has that or not. I think the Orthodontist does but they also call you 24 hours before your appointment and if you can't make it you can leave a message. I'm not 100% sure, as what usually happens is they cancel on me! (Not the Ortho but our regular dentist).

I had both my boys scheduled for a cleaning 6 months in advanced and they called to say they couldn't do it about 3 days before the appointment. It's a pain in the rear to try and find 2 openings back to back for both the boys, so I haven't bothered calling back to do it. I really should but I have one in summer school, another with speech & pretty soon regular school is going to start (hence the reason I made the appointment 6 months in advance as it was!). I have to get around to doing that again. I should see if they have something in October when my DD's cleaning is. Although, for a while they must have been desperate for filling in spaces because I had been overdue for my cleaning & kept calling me saying "we have an opening today if you can come in".

I do know they have a sign for payment is due at time of services (we don't have dental insurance so that also adds to the fun of trying to time dental services). They have billed me in the past though. I just don't recall seeing a sign for paying for missed appointments.

 

[azgal81]

My dentist is actually $75 if you don't cancel in 24 hours. I thought they all did this. They loss money if you cancel really late because alot of the time they won't be able to get someone to come in and fill your spot. It makes sense for them to charge.

 

[Stacerita]

Its rare that you will find an office that doesn't have this poilcy in this area. But its just as rare for them to actually act on the policy. Its there for the repeat offenders and those who just "forget" their appt. People who are generally good patients/clients who never miss, or who have something come up (like sudden illness or car issues) they will waive it for them. There are those though who continually miss appt after appt. In my mothers office, there are many. One family that goes there always skips appts because they forget. Then call another day when they are in pain to come in. Then will blow off that appt when the pain killers work. The dentist will come in on a weekend/late evening/early morning for patients and go above and beyond to accomodate schedules. But then to have someone blow off the appt without calling or anything. Thats when they charge the fee.

 

[Blondie]

Both my dentist, pediatrician and primary care physician all have signs posted about charging for missed appts.

There have been times when I've had to cancel at the last minute and as long as I call, I've never been charged.

I think it's mostly to deter the patients who are always cancelling or not bothering to show up.

A co-worker was so bad about blowing off dentist appts. that they finally dropped her!

 

[munchkin bunchkin]

Our regular dentist doesn't have this policy but today I had to take my dh to another dentist because his filling feel out Wed. and our usual dentist wouldn't squeeze him in so while at the other dentist I did notice a sign that said they would charge $25 if appts. are not cancelled within 48 hrs!

 

[Free4Life11]

They don't, hoever, pay YOU when THEY cancel appointments. I had one doctor cancel on my two times, two weeks in a row. Of course both times I got less than 24-hour notice.

 

[shortbun]

My dentist does it but they only use it if you really blow them off according to the staff. I don't blame them. I try to either keep my appointments or call the day before. They are great about calling with an earlier time if you ask to be put on the waitlist.

 

[Pigeon]

I'd find a new dentist. Mine doesn't do that. I've had the dentist cancel on me with less than 24 hours notice due to illness. Should I expect to get a $25 check in the mail?

 

[monarchsfan16]

Our dentist has that policy too. I've cancelled twice due to apparently acceptable circumstances in the past few years, and have not been charged. Once I was really sick, hacking all over the place a couple days before the appointment and not getting any better, so we did call 24 hours in advance. They told us to call back the morning of the appointment We didn't get charged though. The other one was this winter. We had a freak snowstorm (totally unexpected) the morning of the appointment, and my back country road was a disaster, cars were all over the place on the highway, etc. We cancelled about 2 hours before the appt. Again, no charge. I really think they only charge the people who just don't show up, or the people who cancel with an hour or two notice, and no real reason
The dentist also has the policy that if you are more than 10 minutes late your appointment will be cancelled, and I believe you have to pay a fee. I've never had to wait more than 10 minutes past my scheduled appointment time though (and even that is rare), so I guess I can't complain too much about that
Don't know what my doctor's policies are. We rarely go.

 

[Allison]

They don't, hoever, pay YOU when THEY cancel appointments. I had one doctor cancel on my two times, two weeks in a row. Of course both times I got less than 24-hour notice.

Wow. I have never had a doctor or dentist cancel an appointment. I wouldn't be happy about that.

 

[drakethib]

Yest. I took one of the ds to the dentist for a cleaning. This is a new dentist who bought out the practice of our old dentist last year. We have been going for a year now. I purposely switched our dental ins. so it would cover more and I am now stuck with this dentist till at least Jan. Well the office had a nice notice posted that they will now charge any patient $25.00 who does not cancel an appt. with at least 24 hours notice. I told the receptionist that I thought that was very unfair and the other dentist never did anything like that. She replied they were having alot of patients cancel on them lately and they had to do this etc. I always keep all my appts. as best I can. But I am sure things do come up with people etc. How about your dentist/doctor?

I see nothing wrong with this. I know people just cancel because they don't want to go and just do feel like it.

If you are truly sick I doubt they would charge..