Study of Impact of Telehealth Use on Clinic “No Show” Rates at an Academic Practice

Objective To examine the clinic no-show rate across different modalities of care delivery (Face to Face, Telephone visits and Audio–Video visits). Methods Clinic no show data for adult patients was extracted from the electronic health records used by the psychiatry clinic for 10 months before pandemic and 10 months during pandemic. No show rate was analyzed by visits type (new vs return) and across different modalities (face-to-face vs Telephone vs Audio–Video) before and during COVID pandemic. Results There were 13,916 scheduled visits during the 10-month period before the pandemic of which 2,522 were no show. There were 13,251 scheduled visits during the 10-month period during the COVID pandemic of which 2,029 were no show. The overall clinic no show rate decreased from pre pandemic to pandemic period (18.1% vs 15.3%) after transitioning to telehealth. Across different modalities during the pandemic, the no-show rate for Telephone visits was significantly lower than for face- to-face visits. No difference was identified for no-show rates between face-to-face visits and audio–video visits during the pandemic. The no-show rate for face-to-face visits before the pandemic compared to during the pandemic also showed no difference. Conclusion Using technology in health care delivery can decrease the clinic no show rate. Digital literacy for patients and providers is critical for successful utilization of telehealth.