FORT LEE, Va. (Nov. 17, 2016) -- Kenner Army Health Clinic needs community support in reducing "no-shows" -- missed appointments that were neither canceled nor rescheduled by those receiving care at the facility.
No-shows may seem trivial, but the financial implications are significant. A missed primary care appointment, for example, costs the health clinic $160 per visit in lost revenue. As more and more patients fail to show up for appointments, the price tag quickly increases, climbing into the hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.
In fiscal 2016, there were 6,003 no-shows at Kenner. This large volume of missed appointments cost the clinic $960,480 in lost revenue. That funding could have been used to hire additional staff, procure new equipment, or expand existing services. More importantly, these no-shows reduced appointment availability, degraded access, and in many cases delayed care for assigned beneficiaries.
Those unable to keep scheduled appointments are asked to cancel them as soon as possible so the clinic can offer the time slot to another patient. Routine appointment cancellations can be accomplished online at www.tricareonline.com; through the Nurse Advice Line at 1-800-TRICARE, or by contacting the Kenner Appointment Line at 1-866-LEE-KAHC.
Cancellation at least two hours or more before the scheduled show-time is strongly encouraged. If an emergency arises and beneficiaries need to cancel their appointment within two hours of the scheduled visit, they should call the Kenner front desk at (804) 734-9000 so the change can be directly coordinated.
In today's increasingly busy world, the Kenner team understands patients sometime forget about their scheduled appointments. In an effort to reduce "no-shows," KAHC is launching a new Text Message Reminder system.
Under this new initiative, patients may sign-up to receive text message reminders 48, 24 and two hours prior to their next scheduled appointment. These texts also will include the phone number to call if a patient needs to cancel his or her appointment.
In closing, thank you in advance for keeping your future medical appointments. By not becoming a "no-show," you are saving the clinic valuable resources while helping it improve access for its patients. We appreciate your understanding and support.
"Your Care… Your Trust… Our Mission."
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