The purpose of this policy is to help ensure that patients of Cancer Care Northwest receive the great care that our physicians have to offer our patients. Appointment times are scheduled to accommodate the needs of our patients. Late arrivals, missed appointments or cancelled appointments without sufficient notice, create a gap in our providers’ schedule or may cause a provider to run behind with other appointments. These are appointments that could have been utilized to offer care to another patient.
It is the policy of Cancer Care Northwest that patients are present in the clinic in sufficient time to be escorted to the examination/treatment room at the time of their scheduled appointment. Our goal to provide timely medical care to as many patients as possible on any given day requires that patients are available to be seen at the time they are scheduled.
Our physicians believe that the foundation of a good relationship between our patients and providers is good communication. We understand that situations arise in which you might arrive late or must cancel your appointment. It is requested that if you need to cancel your appointment, please provide us at least 24-48 hours’ notice when possible. This will enable other patients who are waiting for an appointment to be scheduled in that appointment slot, which is not always feasible if less than 24 hours’ notice is given. When you arrive late, do not cancel, or do not arrive (or no-show) for your appointment it jeopardizes your health.
To be respectful of the medical needs of other patients, please be courteous and call promptly if you are unable to keep an appointment. This time will be reallocated to someone who needs treatment. Appointments are in high demand, and your early cancellation will give another person the possibility to have access to timely medical care. Patients who arrive late for their scheduled appointments may be asked to reschedule their appointment. The need to reschedule is, necessarily, determined on a case-by-case basis.
Every effort will be made to minimize the need for rescheduling due to a patient’s late arrival. Appointments not kept due to late arrival may be considered “no-shows” and be subject to established “no-show” policies.
- If a patient checks in at the front desk after the time scheduled for his/her appointment, they are politely notified by staff of our late arrival policy.
- Staff will inform the patient that it will be necessary to verify with the provider if the patient can still be seen without rescheduling.
- The provider will determine the feasibility of attempting to see the patient without rescheduling.
- If rescheduling is needed, the patient will be offered the next available appointment.
- Same day appointments with the original provider to be seen and/or mid-level providers will be offered as available.
- If a patient is late for their infusion/ nursing appointment, staff will check with nursing staff to see if they are able to accommodate the appointment. If they are unable to accommodate the request, the appointment will be rescheduled.
Please note that 3 or more no-shows within a year may result in the termination of your relationship with your provider. This is determined by the provider on a case-by-case basis. This policy is to ensure quality service to you and to respect the needs of all of our patients
No-Show: is a term for patients who miss an appointment without calling to notify the office in advance (24 hours). A failure to be present at the time of a scheduled appointment will be recorded in your medical record as a “no-show”.
Same Day Cancellation/Late Cancelation: this is the term used when a patient fails to cancel their scheduled appointment with a 24-hour advance notice.
