Dental Patient Dismissal Letter Example & Best Practices
As a dentist, the relationship between you and your patients is paramount. It’s a relationship bound by ethical, legal, and moral principles that are core to your mission as a healthcare provider. However, there may come a time when the relationship deteriorates to the level that you need to dismiss a patient from your practice. Patient dismissal is a sensitive and often challenging topic, requiring careful consideration of legal and ethical considerations.
What Is Patient Dismissal in Dentistry?
Patient dismissal (also known as patient termination) occurs when a dentist takes steps to end the professional relationship between a dentist and a patient. While you strive to provide quality care to all patients, certain circumstances may demand that you dismiss one patient in order to better serve all your patients. Patient dismissal should be a last resort when other measures are ineffective. Because dismissal can have significant consequences for both you and the patient, you have to weigh the potential benefits of dismissing a patient against any potential harm it could cause.
Patient Dismissal VS Patient Abandonment
Patient dismissal is an organized and professional way of ending your relationship, so don’t confuse it with patient abandonment. Patient abandonment is a type of malpractice that occurs when you terminate the relationship with a patient without proper notice or terminate a patient while an ongoing procedure is in progress. Patient abandonment could be a legitimate reason for a lawsuit, some of the damages of which may not be covered by malpractice insurance.
Reasons For Dismissing A Patient In Dental Practice
Several reasons may lead you to dismiss a patient in your dental practice. Here are the most common situations:
| Category | Description of Issue |
|---|---|
| Non-Compliance | When your patient consistently fails to follow the recommended treatment, it can hinder the progress and effectiveness of dental care. |
| Missed Appointments | When your patients don’t show up for a scheduled appointment, it throws everything out of sync. |
| Disruptive Behavior | Chronic disruptive or disrespectful behavior towards the dental team can create a hostile working environment. |
| Non-Payment | When a patient doesn’t make payments per the agreed-upon schedule, and your collection efforts don’t produce fruit. |
Key Implementation Details
- Treatment Plans: Suppose the patient is repeatedly unable to fulfill their responsibilities. In that case, you may dismiss the patient rather than continue to provide care.
- Patterns of Behavior: If they display a pattern of behavior that shows a lack of respect for your time and your team’s time, you may need to make the tough call.
- Safety Concerns: If a patient makes a team member question their safety in their workplace, you may choose to dismiss the patient immediately.
Best Practices for Professional Dismissal
Establishing a rigid process and strict criteria for executing patient dismissals is essential to ensuring you don’t leave yourself open to legal liability. To properly dismiss a patient, you must notify your patient in writing and give them sufficient time to find a new dentist. Generally, you’ll make yourself available for emergency care for some time, often in accordance with local statutes.