How can a dental practice reduce missed appointments?
Send text reminders before every appointment with an easy way to cancel or rebook, keep a short-notice list to fill gaps, and take deposits for private consultations and longer treatments. NHS and private patients are treated differently here, so check the current NHS rules before you charge for a missed NHS appointment.
By Sammy Morgan, who runs M1 Studio in Chichester. Updated .
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- Industry
- Dental practices
- Problem
- No-shows
- The fix
- Online Booking & Deposits, £1,800
- Do it yourself?
- Yes, the first steps below
Why it happens to dental practices.
- Appointments are booked far ahead
- Check-ups are often booked six months or more in advance. Patients forget, or their plans change and they don’t think to call.
- Cancelling means phoning
- If the only way to cancel is to ring reception during working hours, some patients simply don’t come instead.
- Long slots hurt most
- A missed hygienist visit or a long treatment appointment leaves a big gap in a dentist’s day that’s hard to fill at short notice.
- Reminders exist but aren’t used well
- Many practice systems can send text reminders, but they’re not always switched on, timed well or linked to an easy cancel option.
What to do, in order.
Check your practice system first
See whether your software already sends reminders. Turn them on for every appointment type, with one a couple of days before and one on the day before.
Make cancelling easy
Let patients reply to the text or use a link to cancel. An early cancellation is a slot you can refill.
Keep a short-notice list
Patients who’d like an earlier appointment are glad to take a gap. Text them when one opens.
Set a clear policy for private work
Take a deposit for private consultations and long treatments, and show your cancellation rules when people book.
Add online booking with deposits
If your website can’t take private bookings yet, Online Booking & Deposits adds it, with reminders and your rules shown at booking.
Where M1 can do it for you.
Fixed prices, or a fixed quote before any work starts. No VAT is charged. Any running costs are listed before you agree.
- Online Booking & Deposits £1,800
Private patients book consultations on your website and pay a deposit, with reminders and your cancellation rules shown at booking.
Bookings taken online, with a deposit paid up front.
- Growth Blueprint £500
It maps your whole booking and reminder route and shows where patients are slipping through before you buy anything new.
Find out where enquiries go cold between the first call and the booked job.
Want to check the rest of your business first? Take the free Scorecard: 12 questions, about 3 minutes.
Before you decide.
Something else? Ask Sammy on WhatsApp.
Can we charge NHS patients for missed appointments?
The NHS has its own rules on this, and they’re different from private care. Check the current guidance for your part of the UK before you set any fee. M1 doesn’t give legal advice.
Do we need a new booking system?
Not always. If your practice software already sends reminders, switching them on properly may be enough. Online Booking & Deposits is for practices that want private patients to book and pay a deposit on the website. The booking tool’s monthly fee and card fees are paid directly by you, and listed before you agree.
Keep reading.
Know what to fix. Then decide.
Sammy writes down what’s holding your business back and what to fix first. The Foundation Blueprint is yours within 5 working days of your answers.
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