Practice Management Alert

Take these steps to end a practicepatient relationship without drama. If you have a patient who continues to break the terms of your payment agreements, you need to know how you can dismiss that patient and keep your practice's legal bases covered. While your practice can end the physician-patient relationship at any time, for a variety of reasons, non-payment is a valid reason to do so. When you do arrive at the point of sending a letter, be sure to incorporate the following elements to dismiss a patient in a fair, straightforward manner. 1. Offer to Continue Care for 30 Days When your practice decides to end the physician-patient relationship, you shouldn't put the patient in a situation that could compromise her health. Key: Failure to offer care could give the patient the opportunity to accuse you of abandonment. If the patient is discharged, then it is his or her [...]