Should You Charge for Missed Dental Appointments?

How do you decide whether or not to charge for missed dental appointments? Missed appointments cost you money because they take away your ability to make money by working on that patient. A good rule of thumb may be that each patient gets one missed appointment without being charged. Of course, you don't convey this to patients beforehand!

However, when a patient misses an appointment there is usually a good reason, so having your dental staff follow up with the patient afterward is an excellent way to avoid futures "misses." Perhaps the patient has an underlying fear of pain and needs to be assured that procedures are in place that can minimize discomfort. Perhaps there's a financial emergency that took the funds that were budgeted for you, or a family emergency that simply drove the appointment from the patient's mind.

Whatever the cause for a missed appointment, it can probably be addressed in such a way as to avoid repeat performances. And if you decide to limit not charging for missed appointments to one miss per patient, your staff should make that clear as well, in the most pleasant manner possible.