Dear Patients,

In the past, we have observed that the ratio of patients who are not showing up on their appointment, is increasing. This is very unpleasant, because we have blocked the doctor and/or the assistant for that time slot, which is a minimum of 30 minutes for the first visit in our practice, compared to 5 to 10 minutes which you find in other institutions. During this gap we cannot treat other patients. Apart from the fact that this will increase our unit costs, at a certain time, it also increases the period during which others have to wait until they can be allocated an appointment with us.

Related to this, please be kindly reminded that if you arrive later than agreed, we don't have sufficient time for your case anymore. This means that you have to wait until there is a free space in the schedule. As a matter of principle, we strive for any patient with an appointment not to have to wait more than 15 minutes.

Because of a recent increase of these issues, we will charge you a € 60,- no-show fee as of July 1, 2016. We hope for your understanding and that we don't have to apply it at all (e.g. by you informing us about your inability to keep the appointment a working day in advance).

With kind regards,

Dr. Marianne Placzek