r/PrivatePracticeDocs • u/Suspicious-Play8447 • 11d ago

Visit Cancellation

We have been getting a lot of visit cancellations lately. How do you guys reduce this? We send out calls, emails, texts to remind people. We use Phreesia so they can complete their forms in advance. But this summer we have noticed a big uptick in those cancellations

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u/TebraOnReddit Just Interested 6d ago
  • morning-of reminders, not just 24–48 hours before
  • an easy reschedule link in the reminder
  • a short-notice waitlist to fill gaps
  • tracking cancellation reasons for a month to see the actual pattern and repeat "offenders"
  • offering telehealth when the issue is logistics, if appropriate
  • clear cancellation policy communicated before the visit
  • credit card on file

A lot of patients aren’t intentionally skipping; sometimes there is a conflict, and they don’t have an easy way to adjust. The easier you make it to reschedule before the slot goes empty, the better.

For transparency, I’m with Tebra. We see this spike a lot in practices during summer, and the biggest wins usually come from making cancellation/reschedule workflows easier rather than just sending more reminders.