The Student Health Center has implemented a new fee system, urging students to cancel appointments to increase accessibility of appointment slots.
Fees have increased to a $10 “no show” fee for a missed Primary Care Clinic appointment and $30 for a missed Mental Health Services appointment.
Julie Hupperich, associate director of the Student Health Center, said the purpose of the fees is “to encourage students to cancel so it can open a spot for other students.”
In the recent years, the Student Health Center increased the fees according to a recommendation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, which evaluates the practices and procedures of the Student Health Center.
The AAAHC recommended the increase in fee amounts to further urge students to cancel appointments.
“The amount of money generated is not a huge factor in the budget; it’s not a large revenue,” Hupperich said.
The Student Health Center is now sending out automated email reminders of appointments.
Michelle Mobley, mass communication sophomore, says she “thinks the fees help the no-shows,” but students who do not show up for appointments “are going to go broke.”
Fees are assessed through the PAWS fee bill system and should be paid before the end of the semester in which the fees were charged.
 
—-
Contact Kaitlin Torke at [email protected]