FAQ: Is It OK To Charge Patients For Missed Appointments?

The RCMA often receives questions from members as to appropriate billing policy when a patient repeatedly "no‐shows" or misses a scheduled appointment. What you may not know is that unless a physician has entered into a contract with a payor that prohibits such charges, a physician may charge a patient when he or she misses an appointment or does not cancel in adequate time to allow another patient to fill the appointment slot – if advance notice of such a billing policy is given. Specific billing rules may also apply with regard to certain payors (e.g., Medi‐Cal and Medicare). For more information about your rights when it comes to billing patients for missed appointments, see CMA medicallegal document #0110, "Billing Patients” found at www.cmanet.org.