DALHART, TEXAS – In an effort to improve the overall quality of care for its patients, Dallam Hartley Counties Hospital District is implementing a new policy for missed clinic appointments beginning September 1. The fee for a missed appointment is $25.
No-show appointments have a significant negative impact on medical practices and the healthcare provided to patients. When a patient fails to show up for a scheduled appointment, it potentially jeopardizes the health of that patient, it is unfair to other patients who could have taken the appointment slot, and it disrespects the time of the provider, other patients and the staff.
“Quality care for our patients is our priority,” said DHCHD CEO Kacey Schniederjan. “Our providers have been very busy, typically scheduling appointments weeks out. Currently, many patients miss the opportunity to see a provider sooner if another patient fails to show up. Had they cancelled ahead of time, someone else could have taken their spot.”
Dalhart Family Medicine Clinic and High Country Community Rural Health Clinic will be enforcing the new policy. These clinics define a no-show appointment as any scheduled appointment in which the patient either does not arrive to the appointment, cancels with less than 24 hours’ notice, or arrives more than 15 minutes late for an appointment. To avoid a no-show appointment fee, patients should arrive 15 minutes early to their appointment or give at least 24 hours’ notice to cancel the appointment.
This policy applies to new and established patients, and the $25 fee will be charged directly to the patient/guarantor, not to the patient’s insurance. All no-show fees must be paid prior to the next appointment in order for the patient to be seen.
Dallam Hartley Counties Hospital District, located in Dalhart, Texas, is a healthcare system designed to serve the community at every stage of life. Offering services including obstetrics, surgery, radiology, and swing bed at Coon Memorial Hospital, providing wellness and rehabilitation services at family practice or specialty clinics, or caring for seniors through long-term care facilities, DHCHD’s mission is to provide quality healthcare close to home. To learn more, visit www.dhchd.org.
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