The provincial government is in the process of expanding a new notification system to reduce missed health care appointments.

The Automated Notification System is currently used in several health care departments, and has been in place since before the pandemic.

Government says a recent review found a high number of missed appointments for certain health care services, such as cardiology and family care teams.

They say the notification system will use phone calls, emails, and texts to remind people of their scheduled appointments, and give them options to cancel and reschedule.

Government says the system has worked in the departments where it is already implemented, with some seeing as high as a 30 percent reduction in cancellations.

Government is expecting full implementation of the system within the next six months.

Health Minister Tom Osborne says the move will reduce wait lists and improve efficiencies, noting that the cost to the health care system annually for missed appointments is “tens of millions of dollars”.