Patient Responsibilities and Appointment Policy

Did you know that the national average no-show rate stands at approximately 19%? However, in subspecialties, this number can soar as high as 30%. It’s quite surprising that almost 38% of no-show patients claim to have forgotten about their appointments, even after receiving reminders. To combat this issue, the Texas Medical Association strongly encourages healthcare providers to implement appointment policies aimed at reducing missed appointments.

In line with prevailing industry practices (medical, dental, veterinarian, hair salons, etc.), charging a no-show fee has become standard, especially within the medical sector. No-shows can significantly disrupt our front office workflow, causing inconvenience and potential delays for other patients.

To ensure clarity and awareness, our Appointment, Responsibilities, and Conduct Policy is readily available on our website, included in new-patient intake paperwork, provided during appointment scheduling, and reiterated through patient appointment reminders via voicemail, text, and email.

By adhering to these measures, we can facilitate excellent quality patient care and satisfaction, and also provide an opportunity for patients on our waiting list to be seen much sooner.

1. Please fill out all required medical and hair-specific information. Should you not have your electronic paperwork completed 24 hours before arrival, your appointment will be rescheduled, someone from our waitlist will be given your appointment, and you will incur a no-show fee (see below). Dr. Yaker needs to review his clinic patients before he begins surgery in the early morning. We strive to avoid long patient wait times, so please be courteous with our time and the patients following you.

2. You received a document that listed our general pricing for all products, prescriptions, and procedures. Hair loss treatments are a long-term investment. Therefore, should you not feel comfortable with moving forward, we completely understand. If you choose to cancel, please contact us no later than 48 hours before your consultation, so that we may refund your consultation fee in full.

3. Confirming your appointment no later than 48 hours before your appointment is MANDATORY. Often, appointments are made more than 6 to 8 weeks in advance, therefore, we must hear from you. Should we not receive confirmation via one of our multiple channels of communication (text, e-mail, phone call), you will be deemed as a no-show, a no-show fee will be charged, and someone on our waitlist will fill your spot. There are no exceptions given the ease of confirming with one button on your cell phone.

4. We also respectfully ask that should you need to reschedule, or cancel, it must be done no later than 48 hours before your appointment. No-showing, failing to confirm your appointment, or attempting to cancel or reschedule within 48 hours will result in a $100 fee which will be deducted from your consultation fee (new patients), and the balance will be due before rescheduling. For follow-up appointments, the $100 fee will be due before rescheduling and/or refilling medication.
We do understand that emergencies and illnesses happen, so, with verification, these occurrences will be excluded from this policy.
Should there be attempts to dispute this credit card charge with your bank, this signed document will be provided detailing our stipulations along with your signature and date.

5. Should you no-show or cancel your appointments three separate times, we reserve the right to dismiss you as a patient of YAKER Hair Restoration + Med Spa.

6. Please be on time for your scheduled appointment. Arriving more than 15 minutes late will result in the need to reschedule and you will incur a no-show fee. Weather and traffic should always factor in when arriving at any appointment. Again, we want to be courteous of your time, Dr. Yaker’s, and the patients following you.

7. Please note that there is another Dr. Yaker in the Plano area. His medical practice is Dr. Natan Yaker, Cosmetic Surgery Associates of Texas, and not Dr. Joseph Yaker, YAKER Hair Restoration + Med Spa. It is your responsibility to select the correct medical practice using your GPS, especially when the word “hair” is part of the medical practice’s name. In addition, our website, emails, and confirmation text messages all contain our address. Arriving more than 15 min late will result in the need to reschedule and you will incur a no-show fee.

8. A valid driver’s license or any legal form of identification is required upon arrival. This is standard for any medical practice.

9. For virtual and phone call follow-ups, requested photos must be submitted no later than 24 hours before your scheduled appointment. Dr. Yaker needs time to evaluate your medical forms and photos prior to your appointment as he only has time to review his clinic patients before he begins surgery in the early morning. Should you not have proper photos (clarity, proper lighting) submitted no later than 24 hours before your appointment, your appointment will be rescheduled, and a cancellation fee will be applied. There are no exceptions as we provide you with the photo email request well in advance.

10. For virtual patients, please be ready to start on time, and make sure to know how to navigate Google Meet (have your camera and microphone activated) before your appointment. Any delay of more than 15 minutes from your scheduled appointment will result in the need to reschedule your appointment, and you will incur a no-show fee.

11. Non-Surgical Follow-Up Visits: There is a fee for all non-surgical follow-ups that ranges from $50 – $75. Generally, your first follow-up is 9 months following the initiation of treatment. This visit allows both you and Dr. Yaker to objectively evaluate your before and after photos together. Following this visit, you have the option to come in annually for surveillance, or you may simply fill out an annual health form to update your medical history. This is required for any medical practice where a patient is prescribed a daily prescription medication. Should you cancel your first follow-up appointment after initiating medication and do not reschedule, you will not be allowed to refill your medication after 12 months until you have been seen once. All medical providers must evaluate their patients annually when prescribed daily prescription medication.

12. Please be courteous to our staff and others by refraining from speaking on your cell phone in our lobby.

13. All calls are recorded for quality assurance purposes. Our practice has a zero-tolerance policy on any negative behavior towards our staff. As a result, we reserve the right to dismiss you from our practice immediately.