Opinion
"Walk in" cure for no-shows
LETTER — Posted Nov. 22, 2004
Regarding "Nabbing no-shows" (Article, Nov. 1): As an ENT dealing with relatively short office visits and dealing with no-shows, I have found a system that is effective in dealing with this problem.
When a patient becomes a chronic no-show, they are given a "walk-in" appointment. They have to come in 30 minutes before office hours start in the afternoon and will wait until there is an opening due to another no-show. Patients do not like this and either ask to be given regular appointments, which they then keep or call in to cancel, or leave my practice and become someone else's no-show patient.
Jeremy E. Alperin, MD, Weslaco, Texas
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/11/22/edlt1122.htm.