Cancelled sessions: how to recover them without losing money

In a therapy centre, cancellations are part of every month. Children catch colds, families go on holiday, and sometimes it is the therapist who is unavailable. The problem is not the cancellation itself, but what happens afterwards: an empty slot in the calendar, a session that is never invoiced, and an awkward conversation with the family at the end of the month.

A good cancellation policy does not punish families. It tells them clearly what happens in each situation, and the centre and the therapist do not end up paying for something they did not cause.

Where the money leaks

Before you write the rules, look at where the money actually leaks:

• The empty slot: the therapist was at the centre, but the session did not happen and the hour could not be offered to another child.
• Forgotten make-ups: the family gave notice in time, everyone agreed on a make-up session, but nobody ever booked it.
• Exceptions negotiated on the spot: treating every case differently means different rules for different families, and sooner or later, resentment.
• Time on the phone: rescheduling without clear rules takes a lot of messages and calls.

Three situations, three rules

Most misunderstandings disappear once you separate three situations and write them down separately:

• Cancellation with notice: the session is not invoiced, and the family is entitled to a make-up session.
• An unannounced absence, or notice given too late: the session is invoiced, because the therapist was there and the slot could not be used.
• Cancellation by the centre: if the therapist is unavailable, the family does not pay, and the centre offers a make-up session or, with the family's agreement, another therapist.

The third situation is the one most often forgotten, even though it matters a great deal for families' trust. A rule that asks for fairness only from parents will not be seen as a fair rule.

The notice period

Choose a simple, easy-to-remember deadline, for example 24 hours ahead, or by a set time the day before. Say clearly how notice should be given too: a message to reception or a phone call, not a passing remark to the therapist at the door.

Sudden overnight illness is the most debated case. Some centres treat it as timely cancellation if the family gives notice that morning, before the session. Others apply the usual deadline. Both approaches can work. What matters is choosing one and applying it the same way for everyone.

Recovery rules

A make-up session without rules easily turns into a debt that keeps being put off. A few guidelines help:

• A deadline: for example, the make-up session happens within the same month or the next two weeks.
• Dedicated slots: a few hours a week set aside for make-up sessions, so you are not hunting for free time every time.
• Who proposes the time: usually the centre offers one or two options, and the family chooses.
• What happens if none are accepted: if the family cannot take any of the options within the set deadline, say in advance whether the right to a make-up session is kept or expires.

And the therapist

The cancellation policy also has a side for the team. If therapists are paid per session, decide whether an unannounced absence, which the family pays for, is also paid to the therapist. One argument for it: they were there and had prepared the session. A make-up session for one cancelled with notice is then paid like any session that was run.

Whatever you choose, write the rule down for the team too, not just for families. A therapist who only finds out at payday that a cancelled session is not paid will be right to be unhappy about it.

How you communicate it

• Write the policy into the agreement with the family and explain it at the first meeting, not at the first cancellation.
• Use concrete examples: "If you let us know by 6pm the day before, the session is not charged, and we will arrange a make-up."
• Keep exceptions rare and visible: a hospital stay or a difficult family situation may justify a departure from the rule, but the decision is made by one named person in the centre's management, not by each therapist individually.

Tracking recoveries

Even the best rule becomes useless if nobody knows how many sessions are owed. Keep a visible list, checked weekly, with every session cancelled in time and the date of its make-up, if one has been booked. A table kept separately from the calendar falls out of sync quickly, so it is safer for the list to come directly from the attendance that was marked.

In TempoApp

In TempoApp, attendance for each session is marked Present, Absent or Excused. Present and Absent sessions are invoiced, Excused ones are not. An Excused session appears as "To reschedule", and the make-up session is booked directly against it. From that point on, it no longer appears as a session to reschedule.