Don’t be a ‘no-show’ - it isn’t worth it

  • Published
  • By Capt. Aaron Valentz
  • 436th Medical Group
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Our goal at the 436th Medical Group is to meet the healthcare needs of you and your family by providing the best possible medical care and access to our services. In order to provide the appointments needed for our enrolled patients and their families, we need your help in preventing no-shows.

We understand that unforeseen circumstances may sometimes cause a personal scheduling conflict for patients, but when you ’no-show’ an appointment, it can negatively affect your medical readiness and may prevent your family or colleagues from getting an appointment within a timely manner. Last-minute cancellations have the same effect as a no-show, since they are often wasted time slots that are not able to be booked by another patient.

In fiscal year 2016, we averaged 10 missed appointments per day, totaling 2,215 no-shows, with a total value of more than $198,000. This value represents lost productivity, wasted resources and unrealized reimbursements used to improve the quality of care we provide.

To decrease the amount of no-shows, patients may opt-in for text message and email appointment reminders from TRICARE Online at www.tricareonline.com. Additionally, the 436th MDG telephone appointment reminder system calls patients two days prior to their scheduled appointment. If you get this call and you no longer need the appointment or won’t be able to keep it, let us know so we can make that appointment available to someone else. Please note, however, our telephone reminder system uses the phone number listed in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS), so it is critical to your keep your demographics up to date. You can update your DEERS information by calling (800) 538-9552 or visiting www.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect.

Help us take care of you and your family by canceling at least 24 hours in advance if you can no longer keep your appointment so your appointment can be offered to another patient. Last-minute cancellations, made less than two hours before an appointment, will result in a no-show. You can cancel by contacting our central appointments line at (302) 730-4633, or you can cancel appointments online by logging into www.tricareonline.com.

Additionally, if you would like to discuss a non-urgent issue with your healthcare team, take advantage of our electronic secure messaging service, also referred to as MiCare. For more information about MiCare or to sign up for the service, please talk to a member of your healthcare team.

As we continue to improve our processes, we welcome your feedback. Tell us what you think of the services we provide by filling out a customer service card the next time you visit our facility or by contacting our Patient Advocate at (302) 677-3330 or 436MDSS.SGST.PatientAdvocate@us.af.mil.