How to Handle Appointment No-Shows

No-shows cost your clinic time and revenue. MyDentalPractice helps you track, follow up, and reduce missed appointments.

When a patient misses their appointment:

Open the appointment from the calendar

Click the Status dropdown

Select No-Show

Optionally add a note (e.g., "Called, no answer")

The time slot is freed up for other patients

Configure automatic marking at Settings → Appointments → No-Show Rules:

Set a grace period (e.g., 30 minutes after appointment time)

If the patient has not been checked in within the grace period, the system prompts staff to mark as no-show or extend the wait

After marking a no-show, the system can automatically:

Send an SMS — "We missed you today at [Clinic Name]. Please call [Clinic Phone] to reschedule."

Create a Task — A follow-up task is assigned to the receptionist

Log the Event — The no-show is recorded on the patient's profile

Configure follow-up actions at Settings → Appointments → No-Show Follow-Up.

View no-show analytics at Analytics → Appointments → No-Shows:

Overall no-show rate (percentage of total appointments)

No-show rate by day of week and time slot

Repeat no-show patients (patients who have missed 2+ appointments)

No-show reduction trend over time

Best practices supported by the platform:

Enable SMS reminders — Clinics using reminders see 40-60% fewer no-shows (see SMS Reminders)

Require confirmation — Ask patients to confirm via SMS reply

Identify repeat offenders — The system flags patients with 3+ no-shows

Shorter lead times — Book appointments within 2 weeks when possible

Wait list — Maintain a wait list to fill cancelled or no-show slots quickly

Document your clinic's no-show policy at Settings → Templates → Policies. This can be:

Included in appointment confirmation messages

Displayed on the patient portal

Printed on new patient forms

For appointment management, see Booking Appointments. For reminders, see SMS Reminders.