Note · Cash-pay practices

What no‑shows cost a cosmetic practice

In a cash-pay practice an empty slot is revenue that usually does not come back, and most of the fixes are follow-up.

One point of no-shows is about $1,300 a month

AmSpa’s 2024 industry report puts the average med spa visit at $527, with about 245 visits a month. At that volume each percentage point of no-shows is roughly 2.5 visits, or about $1,300 a month. That is our arithmetic on AmSpa’s averages.

Across healthcare, a review of 105 studies put the average no-show rate at about 23%. There is no good published rate for cosmetic practices, which is why we measure yours.

Reminders cut missed visits by about a third

In a 2013 Cochrane review of reminder trials, attendance rose from 67.8% with no reminder to 78.6% with a text and 80.3% with a phone call. That is about a third fewer missed visits with a text, by our arithmetic. In two of the studies, texts cost 55 to 65% less per attended visit than calls. The authors rate the evidence low to moderate, and these were general clinics, not cosmetic ones.

Missed appointments in pooled reminder trials

100% minus attendance

No reminder
32%
Text message reminder
21%
Phone call reminder
20%

Source: Gurol-Urganci et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2013. General outpatient trials, not cosmetic practices

In one survey, 83% of people asked for a review left one

BrightLocal’s 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults found 97% read reviews for local businesses, and 83% of those asked to leave one did. It covers local businesses in general, not medical practices.

We sign a business associate agreement

A company that handles patient information on a practice’s behalf is a business associate under HIPAA, and the rule requires the practice to have a written agreement with it. We sign one before we see any patient data.

If you run a practice of 20 to 100 people and want to see your own no-show and review numbers side by side, it is a 20-minute call.

Talk to us

Sources