Province addresses number of missed health appointments

Health Minister Tom Osborne provided a Health Care Action Update today that focused on expanding the use of the Automated Notification System.

A recent review indicated a high number of missed appointments for certain healthcare services throughout the province. The monetary cost for missed appointments is in the tens of millions of dollars.

Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services is expanding its use of the Automated Notification System to help address missed appointments. The system provides phone, e-mail, and text reminders for non-urgent or non-emergent in-person appointments.

The top clinical areas experiencing missed appointments are cardiology appointments and testing, pulmonary function testing, CT scans and ultrasounds, laboratory appointments, and family care teams.