Patient Attendance Policy
Eastern Connecticut Hematology & Oncology (ECHO) is committed to ensuring that patients receive excellent care. This policy helps us improve efficiency and maintain fairness and availability for our patients. Notification allows our staff to better manage our schedules and contact other patients that are in need of prompt medical care.
- No-Show” refers to any patient who fails to arrive for a scheduled appointment.
- Same Day Cancellation” refers to a patient who cancels an appointment less than 24 hours prior to their scheduled appointment time.
- Late Arrival” refers to patients that arrive at the practice more than 15 minutes after their scheduled appointment time.
Our Policy
It is the policy of ECHO to monitor and manage no-shows, late arrivals, and same day cancellations in an effort to provide excellent patient care in a timely manner. If it is necessary to cancel an appointment, our patients are required to call and cancel (or leave a cancellation message) at least 24 hours before your scheduled appointment time.
This policy will be posted in our practice waiting room and available on the practice website. A copy of the policy will also be provided to our patients at their request.
Appointments should be cancelled at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled appointment time. Patients can do so by responding to the appointment reminder text/email/call, calling the office or sending a messasge through our patient portal.
If a patient has a No-Show or Same Day Cancellation (as described above), they may be charged a $50-$150 attendance fee depending on the type of appointment.
In the event that a patient accrues three (3) documented No-Shows and/or Same Day Cancellations in a twelve (12) month period, the patient could be subject to dismissal from the practice.
If a patient arrives more than 15 minutes late for their appointment, and the providers schedule does not allow time for them to be seen that day, they will be rescheduled for the next available appointment time.
If a patient has a pattern of late arrivals (3 or more late arrivals in a 6-month period) they will receive a warning letter from practice leadership. If the pattern of late arrivals continues, the patient may be subject to discharge from the practice.
We thank you for adhering to our policy.
Updated: July, 2025