Clinic cancellation policy: a template, and when to send reminders.
A plain-English cancellation policy template for Australian clinics, where to put it so patients actually see it, when to send reminders, and what to do the same day someone cancels.
The short version: a cancellation policy only works if patients agree to it before they book, your reminders arrive before the cancellation window closes, and someone follows up every cancellation the same day. Most clinics have the policy. Fewer have the other three.
1. Put the policy before the book button
A policy that arrives in a confirmation email after the booking is made is a policy most patients never read. Set up your online booking so a patient can't finish without ticking a box that says they accept it. Cliniko, Nookal, Timely and most other systems let you add terms to the booking flow.
Do the same for bookings made over the phone or at the desk: the confirmation text should include one line about the policy and a link to it.
2. Write it short enough to read
Four parts are enough:
- The window: how much notice you need (24 or 48 hours is common).
- The fee: what happens inside the window, and for a no-show.
- How to change a booking: by text, by phone, or online, and until when.
- The exceptions: who decides, and on what basis.
Keep the fee in proportion to what a late gap actually costs you. A fee in a standard booking agreement that's well above your real loss can be challenged as unfair under Australian Consumer Law. Many clinics charge part of the fee rather than all of it, or take a deposit only for long or first appointments. Get advice on your exact wording.
3. Send reminders before the window closes
This is the mistake almost everyone makes. If your policy needs 24 hours' notice and your reminder arrives 24 hours before the appointment, the reminder lands at the exact moment the patient can no longer cancel for free. They either come in resentful or cancel and pay. Either way, you can't fill the slot.
Send the main reminder three to four days before the appointment. That gives the patient time to move it and gives you time to offer the slot to someone else. Add a short day-before confirmation if you like, but don't rely on it.
4. Follow up every cancellation the same day
A cancelled appointment isn't lost until nobody follows it up. Two jobs, both on the day:
- Reschedule the patient who cancelled. They already know you and want to come back, so it's usually an easy conversation. Offer two specific times, not "when suits you?".
- Offer the gap to patients booked later in the week. Some of them would rather come sooner. Moving them forward fills today's gap and frees a later one that's easier to fill.
Give one person this job and check it at the end of each day: every cancellation should show a reschedule, a "not now" or a note.
5. Stop making exceptions on the spot
Every waived fee teaches patients that the policy is negotiable, and teaches your team that it's their job to decide case by case. Decide the exceptions once (illness with notice as soon as possible, emergencies, a first-time slip) and write them down. Then the desk applies the rule rather than making a judgment call with an upset patient in front of them.
If you want flexibility, make it official: "first late cancellation is a credit, not a fee" is a rule. "Depends who's on the desk" isn't.
Templates
We hold your appointment time just for you. If you need to change or cancel, please let us know at least {24/48} hours before by text, phone or online. Changes with less notice, and missed appointments, are charged at {amount or % of fee}. If something unexpected happens, call us. We'll always talk it through.
Hi {first name}, a reminder of your appointment with {practitioner} at {clinic} on {day} at {time}. Need to change it? Reply here or book online by {cutoff day and time}. Reply STOP to opt out.
Hi {first name}, thanks for letting us know. We've got {day} at {time} or {day} at {time}. Want one of those instead? Reply STOP to opt out.
Hi {first name}, a time has opened up on {day} at {time}. Would you like to come in earlier than your {current day} booking? Reply YES and we'll swap it. Reply STOP to opt out.
"I understand. Our policy is {rule}, and I can do {the written exception, if it applies}. Let's get you booked in again now."
What to measure
Track three numbers each month: cancellations inside the window, no-shows, and how many cancelled appointments were rescheduled. The third one tells you whether the follow-up is happening.
Where Robyn fits
Robyn texts patients after a cancellation, offers them new times and handles the replies, so the same-day follow-up happens even when the desk is flat out. Every message is checked against AHPRA guidance. See how Robyn works.