Cancellation Reason Codes – Ambulatory Operations and Services

Cancellation reason codes are extremely important to managing churn within the practice. When practices can see the reasons driving cancellations, understanding these can assist you in identifying gaps. Not only does documenting the suggested cancellation codes account for more accurate data, but the practice can accurately define what is going on with a particular patient. Using the correct codes will have a direct impact on patient access.

There are seven codes that practices should be using:

Code	When to Use	Code #
Institution	Appointment was made in error	45
Institution – Weather	The institution has indicated hospital operations may be affected by weather conditions	47
Patient – Personal	Patient canceled for personal reasons (if patient is deceased, use this code; specify in free text that patient was reported deceased and by whom)	49
Patient – Sought Care Elsewhere	Patient canceled due to choosing to receive care elsewhere	50
Patient – Weather	Patient canceled due to weather conditions	51
Provider – Personal	Provider canceled for personal reasons, including concern about weather conditions	52
Provider – Professional	Provider canceled for professional reasons, such as a conference or education	53

The process for selecting the right reason is as follows:

Identify who or what is initiating the cancellation:
1. Institution
2. Patient
3. Provider
Type that into the cancellation reason field in Epic.
Only choose from the list of those cancellation reasons.
Do not choose either of the generic “Patient” or “Provider” codes.

Did you find what you were looking for on this page?

Let us know if you liked the post. That’s the only way we can improve.