Non-attendance is one of the most widely used and widely defined indicators. Two centers with the same performance may display two different numbers simply because one of them excludes cancellations from the denominator and the other includes them.
The operational situation addressed by the topic
Management wants to know the amount of loss from unused appointments, and it needs a number to compare itself over the months — not a number that changes depending on who prepared the report.
The requirements you write for the resource
Require an explicit definition of each element:
- Eligible Appointment: What goes into the denominator — all scheduled appointments? Or after excluding what the center canceled?
- Cancellation within time limit: Is usually excluded because it is a desirable behavior rather than a complete loss.
- Late cancellation: Is calculated separately—it is closer to non-attendance economically and further away behaviorally.
- Delay: When is an appointment considered fulfilled despite being late and when is it considered no-show?
- Cancel position: Is completely segregated and not charged to clients.
- Comparison period: My birth month or running weeks? Compared to any previous period?
A practical example of testing the procedure
- Request the report and ask about its exact numerator and denominator.
- Recorded one cancellation on time and one late: did they appear separately?
- Registered a cancellation from the position: Was it excluded?
- Request nomination by day, time and service: Where are no-shows concentrated?
- Request a comparison to a previous period with the same definition.
Controls and exceptions
- Do not compare with published numbers: Rates from other sectors or countries are based on different definitions. Compare your position with itself.
- Diagnostic Indicator: A spike at a particular time or service often indicates a scheduling problem rather than patron negligence.
- Psychological services in particular: Missing an appointment may be related to the condition itself — and the treatment is professional rather than administrative.
- Stability definition: Do not change it after starting, otherwise comparability over time will be lost.
Next step for system review
Type and install your definition, and have it applied in setup. See Appointments page.
Request a system demo
We adjust the definition of the indicator for your policy and display it filtered by day and service — so you know where your loss actually occurs.