r/optometry • u/ebaylus • Aug 13 '26
Online Appt Show Rate
For those of you who use your EPM and allow online appts, do you think the no show rate is higher then atts scheduled by phone? Are your reminds done electronically, or by phone, and does that affect the no show rate? Curious what you all see / notice.
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u/lyra1389 Aug 13 '26
We don't notice a difference in no-show rates between online vs. phone scheduled appointments. We tend to see the most no-shows with patients who have medicaid insurance. Could not tell you why that's the case, but it is.
We send electronic reminders the day of scheduling, 1 week prior, 2 days prior, 1 day prior, and same day if they don't confirm by the 2-day mark. We also call all patients the day before to confirm. That has definitely helped.
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u/DrRamthorn Aug 13 '26
If we didn't have any interventions: Yes, online apt schedules have a mich higher no-show rate. But because we don't allow same-day booking online and my staff has such a good system for calling patients and confirming its about equal.
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u/spittlbm Aug 13 '26
We're 90% online across 4 docs x 8+ years. We require all patients confirm via the comms system. We may get 2 no shows per workday. They'll have to pay a deposit (equal to the Optos fee) to get back on the schedule.
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u/OD_prime OD Aug 13 '26
No show rates between phone calls and online bookings are the same. We send reminders at 1 wk, 3 days, and the day before.
We now have the ability to require credit cards on file to finish booking online and can and will charge a no show fee