In Switzerland, you will be penalised for not showing up at your scheduled doctor’s visit if you don’t cancel it in advance.
The practice of billing for missed medical or dental appointments is common in many countries – though the actual amounts vary.
Switzerland is no different in this regard.
The general rule – which is posted in a visible place in the doctor’s office – is this: you will not be charged if you call off your appointment up to 24 hours beforehand. (A Monday morning visit, however, presents a challenge, as there is no way for patients to cancel within this timeframe. You should ask the office how they handle these situations).
The reason why a missed appointment will cost you money is simple: the doctor has set a certain amount of time on a given day for you, the time which would be invoiced to your health insurance company, and the physician would then be paid in return.
If you call within 24 hours to cancel your appointment, the doctor will likely use that time slot for another patient. But if you simply don’t show up, or call too close to the scheduled visit for another patient to take your slot, then the doctor will have an unbillable ‘hole’ in their schedule.
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How much will you be charged?
That depends.
The usual fee for missing an appointment is 50 francs, which you would have to pay out of your own pocket, as the insurance doesn’t cover this charge.
That is the minimum amount for missing a simple medical consultation.
The fee could, however, be higher if your appointment entails an additional procedure or exam.
And in some cases, you could end up paying much more
In a recent post on social media, a person reported that they had to cancel a planned medical procedure (an endoscopy) by a specialist at a short notice – that is, less than 24 hours.
They have subsequently received a ‘no-show’ invoice for…850 francs!
Is this justified?
Though this amount may seem to be vastly exaggerated, when you consider all the aspects of such an appointment, it is not.
Rather than merely discussing the patient’s condition and writing a prescription, this particular medical procedure likely involved additional expenses such as sedation (and therefore the presence of an anesthesiologist and /or other personnel), supervision after the procedure, and likely other costs as well.
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What if you have an emergency and cancel within less than 24 hours?
It can happen that you have a valid and legitimate reason for calling off your appointment at a short notice.
This could include a death in the family, for instance, an accident that prevents you from getting to the doctor’s office, or other emergencies or unavoidable circumstances beyond your control.
In such cases, a doctor can wave the fee at his or her discretion, especially if you are a long-term patient.
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What happens if you don’t pay this fee?
Pretty much the same thing as in other situations when you are in arrears.
And that is, you will get a few reminders by mail and then – if the invoice is still unpaid – you will receive summons for payment from the debt enforcement office in your canton, giving you 20 days to settle.
READ MORE: What happens if I don’t pay my Swiss bills on time?
