Please be advised that we require at least 24 hours advance notice whenever an appointment needs to be changed. Although we know that unforeseen events and circumstances arise from time to time, it is important for patients to honor their appointments so that the hygienist, doctor, staff and other patients can rearrange their schedules. A sudden cancellation prevents us from being able to offer the doctor’s time to other patients and disrupts the use of resources.
Any cancellations made in less than 24 hours of the scheduled appointment will receive an assessed fee of $25. As always, if you cancel 24 hours in advance by talking directly to our office staff (rather than leaving a voicemail), no fee will be charged.
In the event that you realize that you won’t be able to keep an appointment over a weekend, please call the office and our voicemail will give you the doctor’s extension to alert us. This way if we receive any emergency calls, we will know how to accommodate these patients, the same way that you would want to be accommodated if you had an emergency.
We thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding.
You didn’t have this policy before; why do you have a cancellation fee now?
Here at Keon-Jung Kim Dental Corporation, we are proud of the quality of patient care we provide. We try our best to respect each patient’s time and hope to receive the same courtesy in return. We have implemented this policy so that we can maintain a high quality of service at the same low fees that are currently offered to all patients. There are two options for a practice when a patient does not show up for their allotted slot of time. The first is for the practice to be idle and waste time, rent, utilities, and staff with no offsetting revenue. This will eventually force the standard fees for all procedures to be raised to make up for the difference. We don’t wish to penalize every patient due to the conflicts of consistent no-shows. The second option is to overbook the schedule and hope for chance to work in our favour that day - usually resulting in hectic dentist schedules, overworked staff, unpredictable wait times, and rushed patient care - not a pleasant scenario for either party. We ask that you give us one business day’s notice if a problem arises so that we have plenty of time to accommodate another patient.
There are probably just a few cancellations a month, right? How much could that cost you?
If only that were true! Before implementing a cancellation fee policy we have been experiencing 5 to 10 last-minute cancellations or no-shows every single day. That might be 20-30% of the daily schedule. We understand that some patients have last-minute plans or emergencies, but unfortunately those cancellations quickly turn a profitable practice into a deficient one. We’re sure that everyone has a valid reason for each missed appointment, but unfortunately those reasons don’t pay the rent, staff, utilities, and so forth. Furthermore, patients with actual dental emergencies may have been able to take advantage of that time slot, but were unable to.
Sorry, but yes. By cancelling last minute, we do not have enough time to schedule another patient. This causes us to suffer financially for the actions of others outside our control. You’ve made a personal commitment to our practice and in return, we’ve reserved doctor and staff time specifically for your appointment. If your boss made you stay late when you had a flight, the airlines wouldn’t hold the plane and all its passengers, right? A lot of people ask us to understand their situation when they can’t make an appointment last minute – and we do listen – but please also consider our point of view.
Nobody called to remind me of my appointment. Do I still have to pay?
Yes. We go to great lengths to provide courtesy reminders for appointments. We don’t want you to forget about your appointment, but ultimately, it is the patient’s responsibility to keep the appointment or cancel within the allotted timeframe. Whether we are successful in reaching you beforehand or not, the responsibility is still yours. Currently, our practice is to remind every patient of each appointment by a personal phone call, text message, or email. Please make sure to leave a reliable contact method so that we can prevent any miscommunications.