A Cleveland Clinic study of more than 45,000 scheduled outpatient endoscopic procedures found socioeconomic disadvantage, Medicaid coverage and procedure type were associated with higher odds of last-minute cancellations and no-shows.
The findings could help identify patients who may need additional support to complete scheduled procedures. The retrospective study examined procedures scheduled from January 2024 through October 2025 at two Cleveland Clinic sites, according to a Sept. 23 article on the health system’s website.
At the academic center, 10,308 of 34,129 procedures were canceled at the last minute, a 30.2% cancellation rate. At the community site, 2,119 of 11,772 procedures were canceled, an 18% rate.
Medicaid coverage was associated with 82% higher odds of cancellation at the academic center and 44% higher odds at the community center compared with other insurance. Colonoscopy was associated with 42% higher odds of cancellation than EGD at the academic center and 21% higher odds at the community site.
Socioeconomic disadvantage was a strong factor for the cancellation of the academic center, the article said. Researchers measured it using the Area Deprivation Index, which scores neighborhoods by income, education, employment and housing quality. Each 10-point increase in a patient’s ADI score was associated with 33% higher odds of cancellation at the academic center and 7% higher odds at the community site.
“Can they take time off from work? Can they find someone to drive them? As deprivation increases, so does the likelihood of a late cancellation or no-show,” said Brian Baggott, MD, a gastroenterologist at Cleveland Clinic and one of the study’s researchers.
Ultimately, the researchers said they hope to pinpoint what keeps patients from completing their procedures so providers can respond more effectively. According to Dr. Baggott, that could involve focusing support on the patients who need it most or, in some cases, offering a different type of screening.
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