After a lot of research and discernment, we have made significant updates to our cancellation and no-show policy, and as of February 1, 2021, we will be making a concerted effort to enforce it. This marks a big change for us because, while we’ve always had a cancellation policy, we’ve frankly struggled to know when and how to enforce it. After a lot of discernment and research, we feel ready to move forward.
Because change is hard, and we’re all amid a whirlwind of change in other ways, we wanted to lay out the reasons behind the change in hopes it will ease the transition. If, after reading this, you still have questions or concerns – please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
The basics of the new policy
- AS ALWAYS – We ask for notification of your intent to cancel or reschedule 24 hours or more before your appointment. If you cancel/reschedule within 24 hours, that’s a late cancellation. If you just don’t show up, that’s a no-show.
- Always always call to cancel as soon as you can if you believe you are sick with a viral illness. Particularly during this era of the pandemic’s ongoing spread, we want to give a wide latitude to cancellation due to illness. You will not be charged even if this is within 24 hours of your appointment.
- Likewise, if a close contact has been diagnosed with COVID-19, please call to cancel as soon as you can, and you will not be charged if this is within the 24 hour cancellation window.
- You will be charged $50 for violations of our late cancellation policy. There are additional penalties for repeated violations.
- You can read all the details on our cancellation policy page.
The purpose of the cancellation policy
We have a cancellation and no-show policy in place because we have limited resources, and want to use them to best help the community. When a person cancels late, it is often impossible to fill the slot they vacated. This creates a chain reaction of lost opportunities that have real impacts on real people’s lives. Our intent is NOT to make others’ lives more difficult or to create a punitive environment. Our concerns about finding the right balance are why we’ve taken a while to craft our approach.
Respecting practitioners
When there is an appointment on the books, our practitioners and staff are here, ready to serve you. The
clinic has been prepared for your arrival and the flow of practitioners through rooms and other resources is determined. Usually, your practitioner will have done some preliminary research appropriate for the upcoming appointment, and their understanding of how their day will unfold includes your appointment.
Repeated interruptions here cause a lack of easy flow through the day and week, as practitioners scramble to figure out what to do with a new window of time. Further, of course, the practitioner loses income when the appointment fee is not paid. Like anybody, practitioners need reliable income to live. The stress of frequent income loss impacts practitioners the same way it would impact anyone.
Our primary purpose in enforcing our policy is to ensure that practitioner time, skill and energy is respected.
Respecting other patients’ needs
In Clatsop county, as in many rural counties, healthcare resources are limited. This, combined with the high skill level of our practitioners and our robust in-house insurance billing, means that our practitioners are very busy. In the case of our massage therapists, they are often booked months out. It’s unfortunate, but there’s just not enough supply to meet the demand.
When a person late cancels or doesn’t show up, that potential appointment is lost. For some patients, massage is critical to their regular functioning, and it’s hard for them to not be able to get in regularly. By not showing up for an appointment, a late canceller misuses a limited resource that could have been used by someone else. Nobody wants that!
The precariousness of small business
The last year has been hard on everyone. Small businesses like ours have been hit on multiple levels, and the fun isn’t over yet. We’ve been very lucky to have ongoing growth and support from our patients as well as grant and loan funding from several sources – keeping us afloat during a rough time. But the expenses and challenges of operating under these circumstances are real, and every little loss takes us closer to having to reduce services or even close.
Recovering some money when a person cancels isn’t going to restore that appointment lost, but it will help to ensure that the practitioner gets some of what they would have made and that the clinic can continue to pay its bills. And, hopefully, the accountability structure the fee creates will just help motivate all of us to pay a bit closer attention to our calendars and communications.
We’ll be monitoring how the policy works, listening to your feedback, and adjusting as needed. Thanks for your ongoing support and your help in keeping our doors open and our practitioners happy.