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What your no-shows quietly cost you

Drag your numbers. There's no universal “good” no-show rate to borrow — so this uses yours, and shows what a few points back is actually worth. Your numbers stay on your device.

Your numbers
Appointments per week
No-show rate
Reference only: MGMA US aggregate ≈ 6.8%; peer-reviewed studies span ~3–48%.
Average revenue per visit
Target no-show rate
A rate you could realistically reach — the gap is your recoverable amount.
Revenue lost per year
shows up walks out the door
Recoverable / year
Missed visits
Read it honestly: this is lost contribution margin, not just top-line revenue — but staff, rent and equipment cost the same whether the chair is full or empty, so most of an empty slot’s value really is gone. Reminders are one of the few fixes actually tested in randomised trials.
One of five numbers worth a weekly look.
Clinic Vitals tracks no-shows, collections, days in A/R, utilisation and retention — from the exports you already have.
See Clinic Vitals →

How the cost is calculated

The maths is simple: appointments a month (your weekly number × 4.33) × your no-show rate × average revenue per visit, over twelve months. What’s not simple is what to make of it. The number above is lost contribution margin, not top-line revenue — in a fixed-cost practice, staff, rent and equipment are paid whether the chair is full or empty, so almost all of an empty slot’s value is genuinely gone rather than merely deferred.

What counts as a “good” no-show rate?

Honestly, there isn’t a credible universal benchmark. MGMA’s US aggregate was about 6.8% in 2023; peer-reviewed primary-care studies run anywhere from roughly 3% to 48% depending on specialty, payer mix and population. Any single “industry no-show rate” you’re quoted is worth a raised eyebrow. Set the target slider to a rate you could realistically reach and watch your own trend — the gap between where you are and where you could be is the recoverable figure.

What actually moves it

Appointment reminders are one of the few interventions that have actually been tested in randomised trials, and they hold up. Beyond that, shorter appointment lead times help, as does confirming your highest-risk slots and making rescheduling frictionless. Track the rate by day of week and by provider — a practice-wide average is the best way to hide the one Tuesday column that’s causing the problem. The full method is in How to calculate your no-show rate (and 7 ways to cut it).

More free calculators

Part of a small set for running a practice on the numbers — see them all on the tools page, or read the five numbers worth a weekly look.