No-shows tend to get more attention in alternative medicine practices, likely because of the irritation factor. When you look at it from a business perspective, though, cancellations and reschedules can be just as detrimental. The only difference is that you get more advance notice, so you may have time to fill the slot.

Many of the same approaches used to deal with missed appointments apply to rescheds and cancellations – use a wait list, stay on time, etc. But since people are calling to reschedule, why not take advantage of the fact that you’ve got them on the phone?

The traditional process, of course, is to reschedule their appointment on the spot. Job done, right? Perhaps, but it’s still not quite as good as the patient actually showing up in the first place! One under-used approach that works wonders is to tell your CAM clients that the next available appointment is two months away – even if it’s not true. Yes, call me the lying CAM coach if you like, but it works.

In many cases, clients are rescheduling for convenience reasons, not emergency ones. Yes, I know you want to provide convenient service in your practice, but you also need to provide efficient service in order to meet the patient demands of a busy practice, and that means running a tight appointment book. Telling a patient that they can’t get another appointment for two months delivers the message that a) you’re in demand (always good for business) and b) they need to respect the appointments they’ve made.

Inevitably, you’ll find most patients suddenly deciding that maybe they can make it after all. And for your good clients who are truly stuck, your staff can use their judgment on the 1-2 month rule.