Cosmetic Patient No-Shows Are a Problem
It can be frustrating to watch your staff stand around waiting for cosmetic patient no-shows and you are also left in a “holding pattern” which isn’t good for your mood or your pocketbook.
There are lots of reasons why cosmetic patient no-shows are happening in your practice:
- We live in a crazy busy world so patients forget about their appointment and then are too embarrassed to call back;
- They had every intention to show up but something else came up so they didn’t bother to let you know;
- They got lost, couldn’t find your office easily and just gave up.
However, when I interviewed patients to learn why they didn’t show up for their appointments, the #1 reason given was…
….they didn’t know you or have a relationship with you so they didn’t feel an obligation to show up if something else came up or if they changed their mind.
My guess is these are Internet Stranger Patients, rather than your current patients whom you have some type of relationship with.
There is just too much chatter out there to “assume” these prospective patients will show up even though they said they would.
Of course, there is a lot more you could do at the front end, such as: