If a client does not show up or their appointment was canceled/rescheduled without at least 24 hours notice, you can charge them a no-show or late cancellation fee.
Policy recommendations
Additional fees are often a necessary but difficult aspect of your relationship with clients. You want to discourage expensive and inefficient client behaviors while remaining sensitive to their personal and financial needs as a patient seeking care. To help make leveraging fees as easy and empathetic as possible, please consider the following:
Make sure your no-show/cancellation fee is set in your Profile settings.
Outline any fees a client may incur based on their actions, especially if they contact you directly to cancel an appointment after the cancellation window has closed. Surprise fees are much more likely to create a negative experience.
Consider forgiving initial intake no-shows or late cancellations. Some clients experience apprehension and anxiety as the first session approaches. Reaching out to the client and establishing a supportive environment often resets expectations and reassures clients that proceeding with care is the best next step for them.
Fee guidelines
❌ No-Shows: Providers may set their own no-show rates to a maximum of $200. You may elect to charge a client a no-show fee if they miss an appointment or are late to a scheduled appointment by 15 minutes or more.
⏰ Late Cancellations: Providers may set their own late cancellation rates to a maximum of $200. You may elect to charge a client a late cancellation fee if they cancel an appointment without at least 24 hours notice.
Charge a fee
To invoice and get paid for a no-show or late cancellation:
Navigate to the Appointments dashboard via the sidebar.
Select the Unsubmitted tab and search for the related client appointment.
After you locate the appointment, select the Submit Invoice option.
In the notes view, select the 'Mark As No-Show' option at the top of the note.
On the subsequent screen, make sure the required Diagnosis field is populated. The field will auto-populate with information from your latest note or claim with the client. If the fee is applied to a first-time client, please select the most appropriate diagnosis based on the patient's information, as the field is required to submit the invoice. The visit price will default to the amount set in the Basic Information section of your Profile Settings. If your no-show and cancellation fees are different, simply update the amount before declaring the accuracy of the note and submitting it.
Finally, select the Submit button in the top right to charge your client the fee.
The invoice will be added to the Total Billed number on your Dashboard, and the invoice can then be viewed within the Past tab of the Appointments dashboard.