10th MDG: 'Don't miss that appointment' Published March 17, 2010 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The 10th Medical Group wants to reverse an upward trend in the number of patients who miss appointments, the 10th MDG's senior group practice manager said March 9. Missing appointments without canceling them in advance directly affects the number of appointments available to other patients and is further compounded when the person who missed his first appointment takes a second slot by rescheduling, Maj. Jennifer Garrison said. "Missing a medical appointment could hurt the co-worker or family member right next to you," she added. The top three clinics that have seen an upswing in no-shows are the Mental Health, Physical Therapy and Women's Health clinics. Seventy percent of no-shows in February were Air Force Academy Tricare enrollees, with fully 50 percent of no-shows coming from active-duty servicemembers, Major Garrison said. Servicemembers who fail to show for an appointment can be held responsible for violating Article 86 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. "Our goal is to serve our patients with 'right time, right care' as much as possible," she said. "We understand that our beneficiaries have very busy schedules and that events sometimes make keeping an appointment difficult . If you can't make an appointment, please call us 24 hours in advance to cancel so that other patients have the opportunity to fill that appointment slot." Patients may reschedule appointments by calling 457-CARE (2273) or by going to https://www.tricareonline.com/. In order to help prevent no-shows, the clinic has an audio care support system that calls the patient directly with an automated appointment reminder, Major Garrison said. Some clinics call the patient the day of the appointment as an additional reminder. Finally, the Patient Appointing Service at Fort Carson calls patients the day prior to an appointment to see if they need to cancel or reschedule.