There is a persistent pattern of poorer health and shorter lives in the country. Many groups of people are at a disproportionate risk of experiencing adverse health outcomes and lacking access to health care. The inequalities lead to substantial gaps in health.  A missed primary care appointment could mean the difference between early versus late detection of diseases. When patients miss their primary care appointments, they run the risk of poorer health or dying prematurely because they did not receive timely intervention. Missed appointments represent a major risk marker for all-cause mortality. The Centers for disease control and prevention reports 100,000 lives could be saved each year if people received primary and preventive care services and followed through with treatment recommendations.

The Show Up for Health initiative has been designed to draw awareness to the importance of keeping scheduled primary care appointments. The goal is to encourage patients not only to show up for their scheduled primary care appointments but to receive assistance with the social determinant of health barriers that result in no-shows.