Interventions for reducing missed initial appointments at a community mental health center

The present study attempted to reduce the initial appointment no-show rates at a CMHC through the use of several intervention techniques. One hundred-fifty individuals who called for an intake appointment were randomly assigned to either a control group or one of the following experimental groups: letter prompt received one day before appointment, letter prompt received three days before appointment, orientation letter received one day before appointment or orientation letter received three days before appointment. Individuals assigned to the one day orientation group had significantly lower no-show rates than individuals assigned to the control group (17% vs. 43%). The other groups were not significantly different from the control group. The effectiveness of the one day orientation letter for reducing no-show rates and its application at a CMHC was discussed.