Terminating Patients: Legal Guidance For Physicians And Medical Practices
Host Ericka Adler is joined by Roetzel shareholder Christina Kuta to discuss when and why physicians may need to terminate a patient from their practice. The conversation highlights common situations that can lead to patient termination, including abusive behavior toward staff, repeated cancellations or missed appointments, failure to follow medical advice, and unpaid bills. They also address the growing use of patient behavior agreements, which establish expectations for conduct in the practice and may address issues such as harassment and false statements on social media. Ericka and Christina also explain the key steps physicians and medical practices should take when ending a patient relationship, including documenting concerns, providing written notice, offering to transfer medical records, and allowing time for the patient to find a new provider to help avoid patient abandonment claims.