What is your facility's policy on late patient arrivals?

[klone]

I would love to hear what other clinics do. This is something we struggle with VERY MUCH, and we're trying to hammer down some policies, and I'm really interested how other places do it.

Also, what is your check-in process? Take a number, write their name on a clipboard, just stand in line, or....?

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Oh, and I used to work in dentistry, we did NOT charge for failed appointments. We also wouldn't see you if you were more than 15 minutes late and at that point we would take people who were ON TIME over the latey lucy's.

I work in ophthalmology now, FAR busier. We do not have time to be letting people walk all over us with regards to appointment times

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

I know this is an old thread but I would like to comment.

Why is it so terrible for patients to be late when patients might have to wait for providers who are currently and routinely

running quite late?

I guess it can mess up the schedule when patients arrive late, but the provider can go ahead and see whoever is waiting, right?

Not just sit and wait for the late arrival, right?

Also, I think some practices double and triple book. So the wait for patients can be really long. Patients should not have to

wait more than 15 or 20 minutes past their appointment time, yet they often do, judging from my own experience.

I think it works both ways.

[BCgradnurse, MSN, RN, NP]

Here's another perspective. I never double book. If my first patient of the day is 20 minutes late, that puts me behind for the rest of the day. Add in a complicated patient or two, or a sick walk-in, and then you're talking at least an hour. Then we have patients who are brand new to the practice who are emailed paperwork ahead of the appointment, and do not complete it or bring it in. There's another 30 minutes. I request that patients who are more than 15 minutes late re-schedule. It's not fair to the rest of the patients who are there on time.

I know there are providers who double and triple book. I don't agree with that, but perhaps they have a high no-show rate and have to make up for that to keep the office running.