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How to prevent pharmacy no-shows

Although missed appointments are sometimes unavoidable, these steps can reduce your rates
By | May 22, 2025
A pharmacist with a tablet

Key takeaways

  • Missed appointments have many negative effects, such as decreased revenue, reduced provider efficiency and productivity, and increased healthcare costs.

  • Patients miss appointments for reasons such as forgetfulness, work-related issues, lack of transportation or child care, and cost.

  • Sending appointment reminders, offering virtual appointments, and building relationships with patients are ways to reduce the risk of no-shows.

In this article:

No-show appointments, or missed appointments, are when patients are unexpectedly absent from their pre-booked visit. According to a study published in Health Policy, no-shows have many negative implications, such as decreased revenue, reduced provider efficiency and productivity, and increased healthcare costs. It can also decrease the overall quality of care. 

While many people think of no-show occurrences as an issue for doctor’s appointments, they can also occur in the pharmacy setting. Clinical pharmacists practice in a variety of healthcare settings, and they often have scheduled appointments with patients to discuss different aspects of their medications, such as costs, side effects, dosing, interactions, and more. Patients also schedule appointments with retail pharmacists for vaccines, medication reviews, and various health screenings. Whether it occurs at a chain or clinical pharmacy appointment, there is no denying that no-shows are disruptive to any healthcare system. There are ways you can help prevent this costly problem.

Common reasons for no-shows 

Patients miss appointments for several reasons. According to a study that surveyed 100 patients who missed one or more outpatient medicine clinic appointments, the most common cause of no-shows was forgetfulness. Other reasons included:

  • Work-related issues
  • Lack of appointment reminders
  • Trouble with transportation 
  • Childcare-related issues
  • Insurance issues
  • Feeling better

The study also found a statistically significant difference between the no-show rates for females (60%) and males (40%). 

Ways to decrease no-shows at your pharmacy

Although patient no-shows are sometimes unavoidable, there are steps you can take to reduce no-show rates. 

Send reminder messages

Research shows that sending appointment reminders to patients lowers no-show rates. This can be done via email, phone, and text. It can be helpful to ask patients which methods of communication they prefer when they first schedule the appointment. 

Manually contacting patients to remind them of appointments may be time-consuming. If possible, use automated appointment reminder services. You can set up reminders to be sent out 48 hours before and on the day of the appointment without adding to your staff’s normal daily responsibilities. 

If patients do not confirm their appointments, you may call the patient to remind them about the appointment. This provides you with multiple opportunities to contact the patient and, if needed, schedule another patient for that appointment slot if your patient can no longer make it. 

Provide virtual options

Offering patients the option of an in-person or virtual appointment may help reduce no-shows. This way, patients can choose which type of appointment works best for them. A virtual appointment may work best for patients who struggle to find transportation, while an in-person appointment may be better for patients who are visual learners.

A study published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association evaluated whether allowing patients who were more than five minutes late to convert their appointment to a virtual visit improved no-show rates for clinical pharmacist practitioner appointments. While this intervention lowered the no-show rate in comparison to the control group, the difference was not statistically significant. Regardless, providing patients with this option may still be worth considering.

Have timely appointments available

If patients have to wait weeks or even months for an appointment, they may find care from another provider, be more likely to forget the appointment, or simply feel better and see no need to attend the visit. In some cases, patients may not cancel their appointment and may no-show. 

To reduce the risk of this, try to provide patients with timely access to care within days to a few weeks of requesting an appointment, especially if their questions are urgent. 

Follow up after a no-show

When a patient misses an appointment, it’s still important to follow up. Simply leaving a message or sending a text stating, “Sorry we missed you! Please contact us to reschedule your appointment,” can help you maintain a healthy relationship with the patient and prevent future no-shows. 

Build a relationship with patients

Building a meaningful relationship with patients can strengthen loyalty and reduce the risk of no-shows. According to the American Medical Association, ways to enhance the patient-physician connection include:

  • Familiarizing yourself with the patient before meeting with them
  • Listening intently and completing 
  • Prioritizing patient concerns
  • Connecting with your patient’s story 
  • Exploring emotional cues

The bottom line

No-shows have many negative implications for the healthcare system. There are several reasons why patients may miss an appointment, such as forgetfulness, lack of transportation, and cost. No matter the reason, preventing pharmacy no-shows is crucial to protect revenue and quality of care. Ways to reduce the risk of no-shows include sending appointment reminders through multiple channels, providing the option of an in-person or virtual appointment, having timely appointments available, following up after a no-show, and building a meaningful relationship with patients.