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Abstract
The following examines an quality improvement intervention aimed at reducing non-attendance
at an outpatient community mental health organization in the Pacific Northwest of the United
States. Policy creation in regards to interventions designed to reduce non-attendance is presented
to twenty-five medical providers and the effects of this intervention are then measured using data
from the electronic medical record. Only patients eighteen years and older and who are Oregon
Health Plan participants are measured, as these clients have the highest rate of non-attendance
and because these clients are unable to be charged a financial disincentive to no-show. Results
from this study shows that policy around non-attendance must be enforced for it to be effective.
Results also suggest further directions to take, including focusing on providers with the highest
patient non-attendance rates and focusing on specific clients with high non-attendance rates.