The interpreter’s time was reserved by your office and they commit to being there. When an appointment cancels with less than 24hr notice (weekends do not count), it is very difficult to get replacement work, therefore they will not accept an assignment without this cancellation agreement.
While you cannot, legally, charge the cancellation fee to the Deaf client, you do have
other options to help offset the cost. We suggest a general cancellation policy in your office that applies to ALL of your clients. If you enforce it, this will help off-set the cost of the interpreter. If you think about it, many businesses, conferences, spas, etc. charge a cancellation fee or even have a no refund policy if a reserved time or seat is not given proper notice of changes or cancellation. The KEY is that it’s enforced!
I would also discuss the cancellation policy with the patient next time you have an interpreter. I find if the staff actually explains that it’s imperative the patient calls 24hrs before (weekends do not count) the appointment time to cancel or reschedule, they’ll remember to do so. If you have a deaf patient who frequently cancels or doesn’t show, there are other options we can offer to help prevent the cancellation fee by the interpreters.
CbH firmly believes that 24hr advance notice is a reasonable time to cancel an interpreter, however, if you google ‘interpreter cancellation policy’ you will see a national trend toward a much smaller cancellation window.
