Cancellation fees for medical appointments can be charged from June 1st... Limited to special "reserved appointment" services (Yomiuri Shimbun Online) – Yahoo! News

News Highlights

From June 1, 2026, medical institutions will be able to charge cancellation fees for no-shows or same-day cancellations by patients, but only when special fees are set for "reserved consultations." This measure aims to compensate medical institutions for lost opportunities due to patient cancellations and to optimize the appointment system. However, this will not apply to all medical institutions or all appointments, and will be strictly limited to reserved consultations where "special fees" are applied.

M&A Medical Editorial Department's Perspective

今回の「予約診察」におけるキャンセル料請求可能化は、医療機関の経営効率化という観点から注目すべき動きです。特に、患者のキャンセル率が高い、あるいは予約枠の有効活用が経営課題となっているクリニックや専門病院にとって、新たな収益源確保や機会損失の抑制に繋がる可能性があります。例えば、高度な医療機器を用いた検査や、専門医による予約枠など、代替が難しい予約ほど、キャンセル料設定の妥当性が高まります。M&Aの観点からは、このような経営改善策を積極的に導入・評価できる医療機関は、事業承継時のバリュエーションにも好影響を与える可能性があります。逆に、キャンセル料設定の導入・運用がうまくいかない場合、患者とのトラブルリスクも考慮する必要があり、M&A対象としての魅力に影響する可能性も否定できません。

Points Raised by This News

• Cancellation fee billing is limited to reserved consultations with "special fees" and is not uniformly applied to all medical institutions.
• The purpose is to compensate medical institutions for lost opportunities due to patient cancellations and to promote the optimization of the appointment system.
• Efficiency improvements can be expected by applying this to high-value appointments such as expensive examinations or specialist consultations, which are difficult to replace.
• It is necessary to consider the impact of introducing and operating cancellation fees on patient relationships and the reputation of the medical institution.

Practical Questions Arising from This News

• What is a reasonable cancellation fee amount?
• How should patients be notified and consent obtained when charging cancellation fees?
• Are there cases other than no-shows or last-minute cancellations for which cancellation fees can be charged?

If You Feel "Should I Consult Too?"

Are you struggling with lost opportunities due to no-shows or last-minute cancellations at your institution? This regulatory change suggests the possibility of improving management through the charging of cancellation fees. However, careful consideration is required regarding patient relationships and operational methods before implementation. M&A Medical offers consultation services for determining the reasonableness of cancellation fee structures tailored to your institution's situation, support for smooth implementation and operation, and strategic management planning with future business succession in mind. Please feel free to contact us for an initial consultation.

M&A Medical (CentralMedience Inc.) is a business succession support service for medical corporations, hospitals, and clinics, certified by the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency as an M&A support institution. We provide comprehensive support.Success FeeWe handle consultations with strict confidentiality.Contact Us for a Free Consultation