no show / late cancellation fee
Information about no-show / late cancellation fee
When clients do not attend scheduled appointments (no-show) or cancel the day of an appointment (late cancel), I charge a fee that is equal to what I expected to be paid for that session. When I am billing insurance, the client is responsible for paying this fee as insurance companies do not pay for fees like this.
To avoid being charged this fee, please communicate with me at least a day in advance. If something unexpected comes up the same day, please let me know what happened and I might waive the fee. Typically I will waive the fee in the situations that would cause me to cancel an appointment with a client (e.g., illness or emergencies).
The no-show/late cancellation fee serves a few important purposes.
Maintaining the integrity of the therapeutic relationship
Commitment: An integral part of success in therapy is the client’s commitment to doing the work. The no-show/late cancellation fee encourages clients to be responsible for their appointments and make a conscious effort to attend.
Fairness: I have this policy to outline the consequences for missed appointments to create a fair and equitable approach for all clients.
Impact on client access and care
Reduced access: When clients miss appointments, especially on short notice, the unfilled appointment slot is usually impossible to fill, which leaves clients who could have used that appointment without access to care.
Delayed care: Not attending appointments also delays access to care that might have been really helpful.
Poorer health outcomes: Missing appointments means losing the advantages of continuity of care, which can lead to poorer health and wellbeing.
Financial impact
Loss of income: When clients no-show, it means I lose income for that session. I only have so many appointment slots every week, and even one unfilled appointment slot has a negative impact on my ability to pay the business’s bills and pay myself.
Cost of resources: I invest time and resources in preparing for our appointments. When someone does not attend their appointment, I spend time and energy that I could have used to help someone else. Additionally, there is a mental cost knowing that I am losing income that can affect my overall health and wellbeing, which could lead to me not being able to offer the high quality care I aim to provide every client.
Insurance reimbursement issues: Insurance companies typically do not reimburse for sessions that do not occur, which means I do not get paid unless we meet. I have had clients tell me they are okay for me to bill insurance even if the session did not happen. This would be considered insurance fraud and is not something I am willing to do.