The Challenge
The General Pediatrics outpatient clinic was experiencing missed appointments at a rate of 38 percent, nearly 30 percentage points above the organizational target. Every unused slot represented a child who could have been seen but was not, a clinician whose time was wasted, and a family who needed care but did not show up.
The cumulative impact on clinic productivity and patient access was significant, and leadership needed a practical, sustainable approach to address it.
The Approach
A patient survey was conducted to understand what was driving non-attendance, and operational data was analyzed to identify patterns in booking and attendance. Two targeted improvement strategies were tested through rapid PDSA cycles:
- Structured reminder calls were introduced before scheduled appointments to reduce unintentional non-attendance
- Planned overbooking was evaluated and tested to fill the capacity historically lost to predictable no-shows, ensuring available clinical time was protected and used effectively
- Operational data was used to identify patterns in booking timing, patient demographics, and appointment types to target interventions accurately
The Outcome
No-show rates fell from 38 percent to 20 percent. Slot utilization increased from 55 percent to 73 percent over a three-month period, demonstrating that the recovered capacity was real and sustainable.
The project established simple, repeatable practices that continue to support operational stability in the clinic without adding burden to an already stretched team.