Here in the United States the physicians are a bit tight lipped. There is even a legal question as to whether or not a doctor can even charge for a missed appointment. The answer is a big maybe.

Many believe it has to do with the relationship you have with your doctor and if there a contractual obligation by the patient. Others say that there can not be a charge for "Services NOT rendered".

Many doctors charge and just as many would like to but think it may be a public relations nightmare. There are even more considerations. What about insurance, will they pay for missed appointment, actually some will.

Obviously this is a sensitive subject for all but most progressive physicians have purchased practice management software (electronic medical records and EMR software) that can mitigate the problem. New electronic medical records and medical billing software such as ReminderPro is a user-friendly, interactive patient calling system that delivers doctor-to-patient communication through telephone and email messages automatically. Practices are able to enhance patient care, reduce appointment no-shows, and increase productivity.

The trend is positive, many doctors that have implemented such EMR software now lowers the incidents of missing appointments and driving more profits to the practice's bottom line.