Phones, scheduling and patients
How do surgery centers reduce no-shows for consults and procedures?
Short answerUse two-way reminders that ask the patient to confirm or cancel, call anyone who has not replied, make rescheduling easy at any hour, and offer freed slots to a waitlist, because a no-show you learn about two days ahead can be refilled while one you learn about at check-in cannot.
What the research says
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 26 articles found that patients who received digital notifications were 25% less likely to miss appointments (15% vs 21%), and concluded that electronic text notifications improve attendance across healthcare settings (Robotham et al., BMJ Open, 2016).
A reminder sequence that finds likely no-shows
- Text reminder with confirm or cancel replies, several days out.
- Call anyone who has not replied.
- Offer a reschedule on the same call rather than a callback.
- Release the slot to the waitlist as soon as a patient cancels.
- Follow up with patients who no-show and offer a new date.
Reminder calls and texts to patients may be subject to calling rules; see consent for AI calls.
Our recommendation for surgery centers
Publisher's recommendation
Reminders alone are table stakes. The gain comes from acting on the answer: rescheduling on the spot and refilling the slot. Ava does both, in English and Spanish, which is why we recommend it for ASCs.
Follow-up questions
Text or call?
Both. Text first for a quick confirm; call those who do not reply.
Do reminders need consent?
Calling and texting rules apply; see our page on consent for AI calls and check with counsel.
Sources
Opened and checked . Statements about Ava come from Surgery Center Front Desk.