Cancellation, Late and No-Show Policy
Due to an increasing number of late shows, no- shows and cancellations, combined with a very high demand for veterinary care in our community, we are implementing a no-show and late cancellation policy. We strive to provide top notch quality care to our patients in a timely manner and when scheduled appointments are late, do not show or fail to call in advance to cancel an appointment, another pet is prevented from getting much needed treatment.
- “Cancellation” describes any appointment that is cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice and less than 48-hours’ notice for anesthetic/surgical procedures.
- “No-Show” describes any appointment that is missed without being cancelled.
- “Late” describes a client who arrives 10 min late after their scheduled appointment time.
Late Cancellation of an appointment: To be respectful of the medical needs of other pets, if you are unable to keep your appointment, please be courteous and call at least 24 hours in advance of your scheduled appointment time. This time will be allocated to a pet who needs treatment. A cancellation is considered to be late when the appointment is cancelled without 24-hour advance notice. Your early cancellation will allow another patient to receive timely veterinary care within the constraints of a tightly booked schedule. If you are unable to reach us, please leave a detailed message on our voice mail.
Appointment “No Show Policy”: A “no show” is a client who has missed an appointment without contacting our office. This will be recorded in the patient’s chart. You will be required to pay a $78 scheduling fee when scheduling future appointments. (If this occurs, the fee will be deducted from your invoice if you show for that appointment, otherwise it is non-refundable.) If there is a 3rd no show occurrence, you will be discharged from the practice.
Appointment late arrival Policy: We try our best to be on time for our scheduled appointments. Unfortunately, when one appointment arrives late, it throws off the schedule for the rest of the day. Be mindful that our appointments are scheduled right after one another and “squeezing in” an appointment shortchanges the patients and contributes to decrease quality of care. Our goal is to provide timely care to all patients and to respect not only the veterinarian’s time but the time of other clients who have appointments with their pets. If you arrive late for your appointment (10 min past your scheduled appointment time) you will be given the option of either being seen that day as a work-in (Extra-Fee), if the schedule permits, or rescheduled for a future vet visit.
For surgical/anesthetic appointments: You will receive a phone call from our office to confirm your pet’s surgical/anesthetic appointment the week before the procedure. If you do not confirm your appointment by the Friday before, the appointment will be cancelled.
Late Cancellation of anesthetic/surgical appointments: While surgical procedures take a great deal of time in preparation for our staff, we also have limited availability for surgical procedures. We require you to call to cancel your pet’s anesthetic/surgical procedure at least 48 hours in advance of your scheduled appointment date. Your early cancellation will allow another pet access to the care they need and sometimes lifesaving surgical intervention. A surgery cancellation is considered to be late when the procedure is cancelled without 48-hour advance notice. If you are unable to reach us, please leave a detailed message on our voicemail.
Surgery Appointment No Show Policy: A surgery “no-show” is a client who did not show for their pet’s surgery appointment. This will be recorded in the patient’s chart. You will be required to pay a $200 surgery deposit when scheduling future anesthetic/surgical procedures. (The deposit will be deducted from your invoice if you show for that appointment, otherwise it is non-refundable.) If there is a 3rd no show occurrence, you will be discharged from the practice.
We appreciate your understanding and support with this policy and hope to work together with you to ensure time is set aside for you and your pet.
Please reach out if you have any questions.
