No-show

A no-show differs from a cancellation, where the patient gives notice first. A paper on dental appointments in PMC reports that patient no-shows are a significant problem in healthcare, reaching up to 80 percent of booked appointments in some settings and costing billions of dollars. The same paper focuses on predicting which patients are likely to miss so clinics can respond. The ADA also lists strategies to reduce missed appointments. Many offices record every no-show and follow up with the patient. A written cancellation policy sets the expectations, and the no-show rate shows how often it happens.