All dental teams will be only too familiar with the dreaded no-shows. Of course, there will always be circumstances outside of a patient’s control that genuinely render them unable to attend last-minute. That can’t be helped, and they should simply be contacted to reschedule. However, in many situations, this is not the reason for missed appointments, and there are things that the practice can do to avoid them.
Why the disappearing act?
Unfortunately, affordability and anxiety are two of the biggest barriers to attending dental appointments, especially among people from lower socio-economic areas of the UK. Simply forgetting they have an appointment is another reason why many people don’t show-up, highlighting the importance of a reminder system.
Dental fear and anxiety are further drivers of no-shows. It’s thought that over half of all UK adults experience fear of the dentist, with approximately 17 per cent of the population so scared that they avoid the dental practice altogether.
Finally, dental education—or a lack of it—may also be contributing to the problem. If patients don’t understand the importance of routine care, they will be less motivated to keep their appointments.
The impact
Missed dental appointments have many consequences. They have both operational and economic impacts on the practice. With regard to the former, a no-show constitutes a waste of surgery and professional time. This is especially frustrating given the enormous demand for dental care services across the UK. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to fill these last-minute slots with new patients, so there really isn’t anything that professionals can do at this point in most scenarios.
The economic impact on the practice must also be considered. Not only will the business lose revenue from the loss of appointment and/or treatment fees, but it will also be running that particular surgery at a loss for the allotted time. In addition to the utility bills of keeping lights and heating/air conditioning on, the cost of the salaried dental nurse (or even perhaps locum staff) will be covered at the practice's expense.
However, the inconvenience to the practice is just the tip of the iceberg – if those patients aren’t attending, then they are missing out on essential dental check-ups. Treatment times are lengthened, and the likelihood of dental emergencies for patients who fail to show increases, too. Without regular screenings, they are also more at risk of oral health problems developing, from caries to gingival disease. Perhaps just as importantly, the wasted appointments deprive other patients of dental care, which does nothing to improve the oral health of the nation.
Predicting and preventing no-shows
If the dental team can assess patients for the risk of not showing up to appointments, then this could help to put safeguards in place. For instance, one of the predictive features for future no-shows is a history of the same. The literature suggests using data from the last 10 appointments, for example, to calculate the probability that a patient will attend in the future. Of course, this is only feasible if you have access to historic data for the patient. A high lead time is another common predictor of future no-shows, with appointments booked far in advance less likely to be kept.
So, what can you do? The first port of call is patient education – if they appreciate the importance of their oral hygiene and the health advantages of regular check-ups, then they are far more likely to prioritise their visit.
As already mentioned, an automated reminder system can also be useful in prompting patients a short period of time prior to their scheduled appointment. Many practice management software solutions offer this service via different communication channels to meet patients’ preferences, from text message to email.
Another idea is to charge a deposit or a holding sum to reserve an appointment. The money can be taken off the consultation or treatment fees so it doesn’t cost the patient any extra, but this is a good way to get patients to commit to their appointments and motivate them to attend – until their love of oral health takes over, of course!
For technology that facilitates all of this and more, discover AeronaDental dental practice management software (DPMS). The innovative cloud-based software is designed to save your practice time and money in a vast number of ways. One of these is within its Patient Portal feature, which allows you to charge a deposit with every scheduled visit and, in turn, reduce no-shows. With invaluable business analytics and performance measurement tools available, too, AeronaDental DPMS will be instrumental to your practice's growth and success.
No more no-shows
Missed appointments are missed opportunities – both for the practice and for patients. Although it’s impossible to prevent every single one, minimising the risk of no-shows will benefit everyone involved.