Missed appointment notes are used to document if and when clients miss appointments. They are also connected to charge slips in order to charge a client for a no-show or late cancellation. View the video or step-by-step guide below to learn more about how to complete a missed appointment note.
When to use missed appointment notes
Therapists should complete a missed appointment note in the EHR any time a client misses an appointment.
A missed appointment is an appointment where a client either:
- Cancels the appointment with less than 24 hours' notice
- Arrives more than 15 minutes late
- Does not show up for the appointment
A missed appointment note is not required for appointments canceled more than 24 hours ahead.
A signed missed appointment note and charge slip must be completed in order to be paid for a missed session. The cancel reason selected when canceling the appointment will not determine if the client is charged or the therapist is paid. Make sure to complete a missed appointment note anytime "Charge" is the selected cancel reason. You can view Rula's Late Cancel and No-Show Policy here.
| Note: If the no-show is for an intake appointment, make sure to cancel the recurring appointments that are automatically set up. Reach out to the client to reschedule their intake appointment. |
Video demonstration
This video provides guided steps for completing a missed appointment note in AdvancedMD.
Guided Steps
The best practice for creating notes is always to locate the appointment on your EHR dashboard and double-click to pull up a note. This will ensure that the note is tied to an appointment and will allow you to sign a charge slip.
- Log in to the EHR
- Locate the appointment on your dashboard
- Double-click on the appointment to open a note
- Select the Template: "9 - Missed Appointment Note"
- Click on the Note tab and complete the Note
- At the bottom of the note, make sure you type your name and indicate the date. Even though it's not highlighted, this must be filled out before you can sign the note.
- Once completed, click Sign at the top and enter the sign-off Code: 1234
If the client will be charged the no-show or late cancellation fee
- Based on the information entered in the note, a charge slip will be generated with the necessary codes pre-populated
- Sign the charge slip by entering the sign-off code: 1234
- Once the note and the charge slip are completed, you can return to your dashboard or scheduler to cancel the appointment.
Note: If the appointment was already canceled, you'll need to undo this action in order to sign a charge slip.
Missed appointment note definitions and components
When filling out a missed appointment note, you'll need to enter the following information
- Missed appointment category
- Notes on outreach
-
Charge or no charge
Missed appointment category
The missed appointment category is either a no-show or late cancellation. The definitions for each are as follows
- No Show: No prior notification from the client before they missed the appointment.
- Late Cancel: The client canceled less than 24 hrs before the appointment
If No Show is Selected, additional questions will be populated to confirm that therapists followed the Outreach attempts required by Rula's Late Cancel and No Show Policy.
Notes on outreach
The Notes On Outreach section is required for no-show and late cancellations. In this section, please include details of attempted outreach or how/when a client canceled. Please be specific. Rula will refer to this information if a client reaches out to Support.
Charge or no charge
The section of this note falls under the heading Select One (Required). In this section, you will select whether or not to charge the client for the missed appointment.
- No Show or Late Cancellation - Charge: this will charge the client, and therapists will be paid for the missed appointment.
-
No Show or Late Cancel - No Charge: this will not charge the client, and therapists will not be paid for the missed appointment.
- When selecting "no charge," we recommend clicking the dropdown arrow and adding a reason.
Additional resources
- Viewing canceled appointments - If you'd like to check and make sure you've completed a missed appointment note for an appointment you've canceled,
- Creating a session note - This article covers the steps needed for missed appointment notes only. Review the more in-depth process for creating session notes here.
- Create and sign a charge slip - If the client will be charged for their missed appointment, view this step-by-step guide for creating and signing charge slips.