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Pediatric Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Look Into Options for Handling Late or No Show Patients

Published on Thu Sep 16, 2010

Question: We have a few patients who routinely miss appointments or show up late. We'd like to emphasize the importance of keeping appointments without alienating the patients. Can we bill for no-show visits and/or charge a fee for being late?Answer: Whether you can bill for no-show visits or charge a late fee will depend on your payer contracts and the laws in your state. Some contracts, such as Medicaid, prohibit no-show charges or fees unrelated to patient services. Check your contract and state laws, and if allowed, you may bill the patient for this inconvenience.There are no current CPT codes to bill for no show fees.Many practices charge a fee (such as $25) for missed appointments, but there are other options to consider:If a patient is chronically late, tell them an earlier appointment time than what you schedule.For example,tell the patient her appointment is at 9:30 a.m.,but actually schedule it [...]
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