We do not charge a fee for most cancelled or missed appointments. We understand that appointments can escape one’s mind, colds and ‘flus’ can happen overnight, one’s kids can get sick, flat tires occur en route to the appointment and other pressing issues arise which take presence over attending an appointment.
Please note that we understand these issues very well, but that is not to say we don’t have a cancellation policy. We do, and it’s a strict one. We have a policy that respects both Dr. Donovan (who will have taken the time to review your file, photos, blood tests, referral notes and other details well ahead of your appointment) and respects other patients (who may urgently need an appointment but can not be seen any earlier because our clinic appointment slots are full).
We consider it extremely disrespectful and discourteous to other patients to miss or skip an appointment without advising our office. If you give us time we can fill an appointment spot for another patient who really needs an appointment, and who has probably has contacted our office dozens and dozens of times. If you don’t give us enough time, the appointment spot goes unfilled and you keep other patients waiting for their appointment and worrying about their hair. In our clinic, this is not acceptable.
1. If you know you can’t attend an appointment, let us know as soon as possible. If you know if April that you won’t be able to attend your June appointment, contact us in April.
2. If you can’t attend your appointment and it’s set to occur with less than 48 hours, call or email our office right away and let us know that you can’t attend the appointment. We will NOT be able to give you a new appointment time right away over the phone or by email, but we will review with Dr. Donovan as to the urgency of your appointment. It may be up to 3 months before we can re-schedule your appointment.
3. There is no fee for your first cancelled or missed appointment.
4. If you miss or cancel a second or third appointment within the first 12 months with less than 48 hours notice, there will be a fee of $ 500 for that missed appointment. You will be required to submit payment to the office before another appointment time will be opened for you.
5. If you cancel or miss an appointment again 1-2 years down the road with less than 48 hours notice, there is again no fee. However, every additional missed appointment thereafter will be billed at $ 500 per missed or cancelled appointment with less than 48 hours notice.
6. The main exception to our cancellation policy pertains to PRP (platelet rich plasma) procedures. There is a strict cancellation fee of $ 300 for all PRP procedures that are cancelled with less than 1 week notice. Please take the time to carefully review your schedule before booking your PRP date. At the time of booking, your PRP appointment 60 minute time spot is reserved only for you. We continue our strict policy do not double book patients in the clinic.
1. How often do you remind me of my appointment?
We provide reminders 2 weeks and 1 week before
2. What is the policy if Dr. Donovan misses a clinic or is ill?
To review our policy on what happens when a clinic cancelled, please see the following link
3. Why does the clinic not charge patients for most cancellations?
We understand that life happens, throws curveballs, and can be unpredictable. It's easy to forget to transfer an appointment to one's phone or calendar. People get sick. Colds and ‘flus’ can happen overnight, one’s kids can get sick, flat tires occur en route to the appointment and other pressing issues arise which take presence over attending an appointment. Mistakes happen. If a patient can't attend, we understand. However, let us know as soon as possible. If it's a repeated event, we will charge a fee.
4. I understand the cancellation policy. But do you have a "cancellation list" (i.e. wait list) for appointments?
We do have a wait list. To be placed on a cancellation list, it MUST be possible for you to attend an appointment with short notice. For example, if a current patient of ours can not take their appointment in 2 days, it must be possible for you to attend with 2 days notice. It is generally not possible to put patients on our wait list if they live out of town as it is not possible for them to coordinate travel with such short notice. (For example, a patient from Dubai can not be placed on our wait list).
