It can be very discouraging when patients fail to follow through on their long-term medical recommendations. This is especially true in cases where critical services, like dialysis or chemotherapy, are concerned. You really don’t want your patients to miss their appointments, but sometimes, the limiting circumstances are simply out of your patient’s control. Hence, it’s worth taking a closer look at patients who don’t show and potential solutions to the problem.
Here are some of the most common reasons:
- Cost - In some cases, the co-pay or other out-of-pocket expenses are enough to deter patients from showing up for their appointments.
- Nervousness - Patients may be nervous about an upcoming procedure, or they may not think you care enough to worry about them when they don’t show up.
- Forgetfulness - It’s very common for patient to forget their scheduled appointment times, especially when patients are either very busy or suffering from age-related cognitive decline.
- Transportation - Lack of reliable transportation accounts for an estimated 67% of patient no-shows, especially for patients who aren’t able to drive themselves or are wheelchair bound.
When you take the time to better understand these common factors, the problem becomes much easier to address. The best part is that if you take a practical approach to bridging these gaps, you’ll see it in your bottom line in no time.