Missing a medical appointment seems pretty harmless to most people, but the reality is no-shows cost Evans Army Community Hospital (EACH) about $2 million in revenue a year.
This financial loss equates to more equipment and services EACH could potentially provide to patients, but it starts with beneficiaries.
With about 2,000 beneficiaries a month missing scheduled appointments according to the EACH Clinical Support Division (CSD), the financial impact is significant and detrimental to the health care mission at EACH.
“People don’t realize the impact missing appointments has on access to care for our beneficiaries,” said Capt. Tiara Walz, CSD chief. “We want to ensure our beneficiaries have appointment availability when it’s needed most.”
When one appointment is skipped, it actually accounts for the equivalent of three appointments: the original missed appointment, the rescheduled appointment and the appointment another person could have had if the appointment was canceled ahead of time.
When beneficiaries call for appointments and recognize potential bookings are weeks in the future, it may not be an accurate representation of what is available day-to-day due to no-shows.
Bottom line: there are appointments but other beneficiaries are taking up spots and then skipping out on their visit.
These missed appointments could have been annual checkups for children, well-woman screenings, or possibly a readiness appointment for a Soldier preparing to deploy. Some people are still under the notion that if you cancel sooner than 24 hours from your scheduled appointment time, you will be considered a no-show. This is not only false, but even calling within an hour of your appointment time helps fellow beneficiaries who are looking for same-day appointments.
“While missing an appointment at EACH seems inconsequential, beneficiaries who no-show with civilian health care professionals may experience costly consequences,” said Walz.
According to TRICARE online, beneficiaries who miss appointments with civilian health care providers have to pay out-of-pocket fees in the event they no-show or fail to cancel 24 hours in advance. These costs can add up since missed appointment fees range from $20-$50 per missed visit.
To cancel an appointment, visit https://www.tricareonline.com or call 526-CARE (2273) as soon as you realize the appointment will not be kept. The Colorado Springs Military Health System Access to Care Line is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Beneficiaries who would like to cancel an appointment outside of operating hours have the option to do so by voicemail.
| Date Taken: | 12.07.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 12.07.2018 14:03 |
| Story ID: | 302610 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 172 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, No-shows result in $2M revenue loss, by Jeanine Mezei, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
