The Doctor Will Never See You Again
Physicians Can Boot Patients for Unruly Behavior, Drug Abuse and Other Reasons, but Must Follow Rules
By MELINDA BECK
WSJ
When is it appropriate for doctors to "fire" patients?
Patients can and often do leave doctors they don't see eye to eye with, find inconvenient or can't afford. But doctors must follow strict ethical rules when they want to dismiss a patient.
The list of reasons is relatively short, according to medical associations: Patients who are chronically abusive, disruptive or drug-seeking may be asked to leave a practice. So might those who habitually miss appointments or refuse to pay reasonable bills. Failing to heed medical advice isn't necessarily grounds for a split, but some doctors suggest that patients who won't quit smoking, use illicit drugs or have potentially harmful habits (daily enemas, say) might be more comfortable in another practice.
"Physicians talk about this all the time—the 'difficult patient,' " says Lori J. Heim, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians who practices at Scotland Memorial Hospital in Laurinburg, N.C. "A lot of problems arise because the physician and the patient just don't click."
(More here.)
By MELINDA BECK
WSJ
When is it appropriate for doctors to "fire" patients?
Patients can and often do leave doctors they don't see eye to eye with, find inconvenient or can't afford. But doctors must follow strict ethical rules when they want to dismiss a patient.
The list of reasons is relatively short, according to medical associations: Patients who are chronically abusive, disruptive or drug-seeking may be asked to leave a practice. So might those who habitually miss appointments or refuse to pay reasonable bills. Failing to heed medical advice isn't necessarily grounds for a split, but some doctors suggest that patients who won't quit smoking, use illicit drugs or have potentially harmful habits (daily enemas, say) might be more comfortable in another practice.
"Physicians talk about this all the time—the 'difficult patient,' " says Lori J. Heim, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians who practices at Scotland Memorial Hospital in Laurinburg, N.C. "A lot of problems arise because the physician and the patient just don't click."
(More here.)
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