This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to complete a missed appointment note. Missed appointment notes are used to document if and when patients miss appointments. They are required in order to charge a patient for a no-show or late cancellation.
When to use missed appointment notes
Providers should complete a missed appointment note in the Rula provider portal any time a patient misses an appointment.
A missed appointment is required when:
- A patient cancels less than 24 hours before the appointment.
- A patient arrives more than 15 minutes late (for initial visits) or 10 minutes late (for follow-up visits).
- A patient does not show up for the appointment.
A missed appointment note is not required for appointments canceled more than 24 hours ahead.
Guided Steps
Missed appointment notes are created through the Schedule tab when canceling an appointment. They only become available after the session should have occurred.
To create a missed appointment note:
- Log into the provider portal
- Find and click on the appointment you want to cancel.
- Click the 3 dots then Appointment did not happen
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Select the reason for canceling from the drop-down
- Fill out the note template
- The cancel reason selected when canceling the appointment will not determine if the patient is charged or the provider is paid.
- Make sure to select Yes under Charge client if appropriate.
- Once complete, click Sign note.
- Confirm your electronic signature, then click Sign and submit note
Once the note is submitted, it cannot be edited. The signed note will generate a charge and be billed to your patient. No further action is needed.
You can confirm that a charge was generated correctly by returning to the Client Chart and looking for the missed appointment note. Confirmation of a charge will be indicated by a $ icon on the note card.
Missed appointment note definitions and components
When filling out a missed appointment note, you'll need to enter the following information
- Missed appointment category
- Notes on outreach
Whether or not to charge the patient
Missed appointment category
The missed appointment category is either a no-show or a late cancellation. The definitions for each are as follows
- No Show: No prior notification from the patient before they missed the appointment.
- Late Cancel: The patient canceled less than 24 hrs before the appointment
If No Show is selected, additional questions will be populated to confirm that providers followed the Outreach attempts required by Rula's Late Cancel and No Show Policy.
Notes on outreach
The Notes On Outreach section is required for no-show and late cancellations. In this section, please include details of attempted outreach or how/when a patient canceled. Please be specific. Rula will refer to this information if a patient reaches out to Rula's Support Team.
Charge or no charge
The section of this note falls under the heading Charge Client?. In this section, you will select whether or not to charge the patient for the missed appointment.
- Yes: this will charge the patient, and the provider will be paid for the missed appointment.
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No: this will not charge the patient, and the provider will not be paid for the missed appointment.
- When selecting "no charge," we recommend clicking the dropdown arrow and adding a reason.
Additional Resources
- Viewing signed notes in the Rula provider portal - Provides guidance on how to view saved and signed notes
- Canceling appointments in the Rula provider portal - Provides step-by-step guidance on how to cancel an appointment in the Rula provider portal.
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