No-shows waste a slot another patient could have used. Most are preventable.
Why patients miss appointments
- They forget. The most common reason, and the easiest to fix.
- They feel better and decide the visit is not needed.
- Work, family or travel get in the way.
- A poor past experience at the clinic.
A simple reminder routine
- The day before: name, doctor, date and time, and how to reschedule.
- On the morning of the appointment: a short reminder.
Two reminders are usually enough. More than that starts to feel like spam.
Make rescheduling easy
A patient who cannot come should be able to tell you and move the visit. Put the clinic's phone number in every reminder. A cancelled slot can be given to someone else; an empty one cannot.
For slots that are costly to lose
For long consultations, or for patients who have missed several visits, some clinics ask for a small deposit that is adjusted against the fee. Explain it clearly when you book.
Track it
No-show rate = patients who did not come ÷ patients booked. Measure it every month, before and after you change anything.
With Vaidya OS
On a paid plan, Vaidya OS sends a WhatsApp reminder about a day before a booked appointment and another on the morning of the visit, and reminds patients the day before and on the morning of their follow-up date. Each reminder has one-tap buttons, such as Reschedule or Change date, and a patient who taps gets your clinic phone number and booking link.