Carson Bonner, Campus Carrier deputy news editor
The Ladd Center has served students since 1967, providing services such as vaccinations, allergy shots, blood tests, gynecological services and treatments of infections. In the last year and a half, the center has experienced an exponential increase in not only student appointments but also cancellations, resulting in the students who need appointments not being able to schedule them.
According to the Health Center Director Dr. Lauren Wehunt, statistical research done by the Ladd Center has shown an increase in use of the center overall with a spike in cases of cold and flu. Along with these, there has been growth in the number of students not showing up for their appointments or canceling at a late notice, preventing the appointment slot from being filled by another patient.
“Students either canceling late or bailing on appointments puts us at a real disadvantage,” Wehunt said. “Because of that, we’re putting in place a new cancellation policy. As far as effective Nov. 1, any student who is 10 minutes or more late to their appointment will be considered a no-show, and this will not allow them to schedule an appointment on the same day. They will have to make an appointment the next day at the earliest.”
The goal with this protocol change is to both encourage students to be on time to their appointments as well as to give an opportunity for students on a standby list to be seen sooner than expected. When there is no availability for a new appointment, students will be put on a standby list. In the case of a cancellation or a no-show, the next student on the stand by list will be notified and can take an appointment in the window of the cancellation. The sooner the Ladd Center is notified, the sooner a student can be fit into that appointment window.
“We highly encourage people that if you’re going to make an appointment then come to your appointment so you can be seen when you need to,” Wehunt said. “We’ve also made it so you have to call if you’re canceling within two hours of your appointment time; you can’t cancel online on such short notice. This is really just to allow for advance scheduling. If someone cancels right before their appointment, then it’s unlikely we’ll have time to have another appointment in such a small window.”
Reasons for cancellation have varied, according to Wehunt. She said many students cancel and instead go to urgent care or their symptoms lessen and they cancel at the last minute.
“If a student is bad enough that they need to go to urgent care, we highly encourage them to do so,” Wehunt said. “We just ask that someone notify us with proper time notice.”
The difference between the new policy and the former policy is the call policy. Before this new policy was put into place, students could cancel online with shorter notice, which would not only prevent them from making another appointment for that day but also could limit availability for another patient to be seen in their place.
“Really, the goal is just to maximize the number of patients we can see,” Wehunt said.
“We want to be able to provide for the students here who need our services and if we’re being limited by our cancellation notification system, then that system needs to change.”
Students have had mixed reactions to this policy change. Some feel that it will be beneficial to have a policy that has a shorter no-show window as well as a cancellation policy that promotes more advance notice, while others feel that the shorter window isn’t enough time.
“I feel like [10 minute window] may cause some confusion,” freshman Noah Wilkes said.
“10 minutes is not a big enough window, maybe 20 [would be better]. Most people may be close to their appointment or on the way and running late. Business is unavoidable, and this is a season of increased illness so it may be stressful [for the healthcare workers] but I feel they are prepared.”
Other students feel that this new policy will be beneficial to the Ladd center as well as to the patients that may need to schedule appointments sooner.
“I think it’s good that they have a smaller window,” freshman Emily Conaway said. “It’s more like a regular doctor’s office this way, and it will probably convince students to be on time.”
While right now, the policy will remain as it has been adjusted to, Wehunt said that it may be altered more in the new year.
“We’re really working to see how effective this new policy is at the moment,” Wehunt said. “I’m hoping it will positively impact appointments and the center as a whole, so we’ll see if we need to make any changes in the near future.”