POLICY LETTER #16

MCBI-CO 7 January 2011

MEMORANDUM FOR SEE DISTRIBUTION

SUBJECT: Failed appointment policy

1. PURPOSE. To establish a standardized method of notifying supported units of soldiers who fail their dental appointments and to provide guidance to optimize the utilization of time lost due to failed dental appointments.

2. SCOPE. This policy applies to all dental clinics assigned to the Fort Hood Dental Activity.

3. GENERAL. Failed dental appointments result in loss of time and decreased access to dental care. Units need to be advised when their Soldiers have failed an appointment. Soldiers who fail to appear for dental appointments may be subject to disciplinary action from their units as well as restricted dental access. Failed dental appointments are detractors from patient care and waste limited Army resources.

4. RESPONSIBILITY.

a. Each clinic OIC is responsible to implement the DENTAC failed appointment policy.

b. Each clinic NCOIC is directly responsible for enforcing the DENTAC failed appointment policy.

5. PROCEDURES.

a. Failures:

(1) A soldier who fails a dental appointment will have the failure recorded in the dental treatment record (DTR) to include the date and “failed appointment”. A failure is defined as any appointment that a soldier does not attend without giving 24 hour notification to the Dental treatment facility. Appointments that are failed will not be rescheduled without the criteria in paragraphs 4, 5, and 6 being met.

(2) On a weekly basis the Dental Readiness NCO will generate a clinic failure report to be turned into the DENTAC Dental Readiness NCO. The DRNCO will generate a monthly failure report at the end of every month to be turned in to the DENTAC readiness NCO.

(3) It is not the intent of the failed appointment policy to deny soldiers access to care. Soldiers who chronically fail appointments shall have access to routine dental care appointments limited for up to six months. Soldiers cannot fail more than one appointment within a year. No soldier will be denied access to sick call or emergency care.

(4) Soldiers who fail a dental appointment will be notified via email along with their First Sergeant and Commander. The soldier must appear at the assigned Dental Clinic and sign a failed appointment policy.

(5) Soldiers who fail a second appointment must be accompanied by their first line supervisor to the Dental Treatment Facility to be counseled by the Clinic NCOIC or OIC prior to scheduling an appointment.

(6) Soldiers who fail a third appointment will not receive non-emergency dental care from the DTF without counseling from their commander or First Sergeant, and must be escorted by their First Sergeant to receive a dental appointment. As a reminder, only the First Sergeant or Commander can cancel a class 3 appointment.

(7) Company Grade Officers who fail an appointment will also receive an e-mail notification. A courtesy copy will be sent to the Battalion Commander. Field grade officers,