France to Issue $5.41 Fines For Missing Doctor Appointments

According to a recent Agence France Presse report, France's doctors' union claims that 27 million appointments are missed annually. To eliminate this waste of resources, the government aims to reduce this number through various measures, including launching a financial penalty.

France plans to impose a €5 ($5.41) penalty for individuals who miss a doctor's appointment.

From a controlling perspective, doctors in France would decide whether the reason for not attending a scheduled appointment is satisfactory to avoid the financial penalty.

Gabriel Attal, France's new Prime Minister, announced on April 6, 2024, that a law allowing a "mechanism for responsibility" would be presented to parliament. The government intends for the penalty to begin on January 1, 2025.

In the United States, various tactics have been deployed to reduce the volume of no-show healthcare appointments.

A Tebra survey in 2023 found that about 59% of scheduled appointments are no-shows, which can cost medical practices as much as $7,500 per month.

In the pharmacy industry, a combination of walk-up and appointment-based scheduling systems reduced no-shows, streamlined staffing workflows, and enhanced patient satisfaction.

During the recent pandemic, pharmacies were integral to national efforts to increase vaccination capacity. Pharmacists participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program recently delivered about 40 million COVID-19 vaccinations.

In the travel vaccine market segment, pharmacies have integrated scheduling systems to meet the resurgence in requests in 2024. Online apps enable travelers to easily schedule last-minute vaccinations required to visit some countries. 

Recent TSA checkpoint screening activity (2.5 million people per day) indicates travel vaccination demand will far exceed 2023.

Additionally, the deployment of AI-based systems will soon enhance scheduling efficiencies. 

In April 2023, the journal Frontiers Public Health published a review proposing mathematical optimization methods for evaluating appointment management options.

These researchers agreed that to achieve better workflow results, it is mandatory to design and develop critical aspects adequately, including the management of facilities, the management of patient records, patients' engagement, and operating procedures.

These trends indicate that France may need to deploy innovative technical systems rather than penalize people for reducing no-show appointments.