Page 37 - 2021 Risk Reduction Series - Communication Part One

SVMIC Risk Reduction Series: Communication

be sent to the new physician upon written request. If a letter

serving as either notification or confirmation of termination is
returned “undeliverable”, verify that the address on the letter

corresponds with the address given by the patient. If so, resend
the letter to the same address using first-class regular mail. If

the letter is returned “undeliverable” and you are provided with
a new address by the post office, resend the letter to the new

address. Note all action taken in the medical record. A verbal
notice of termination may be sufficient in special circumstances,

such as when the patient frequently moves or has no permanent
address, but always document this discussion in the medical

record. For questions about discharging a patient from the
practice, you are encouraged to consult an SVMIC claims

attorney for assistance.

Physician to Physician Communication

Referral Management

Referrals to other physicians for consultation or second opinions
are an important part of a medical practice. The failure to

send the patient for consultation, the failure of a patient to
go to a consultation, or the failure to act on the consultant’s

recommendations are the bases of many legal actions against
physicians. Referrals from primary care practitioners to
6
specialists are fraught with uncertainty and inefficiency. As
many as half of the approximately 100 million referrals ordered
7

6 Hoffman, Jock. Toward an Ideal Referral Process, CRICO podcast, November 29, 2017
7 Thomas, M. O., Quinn, C. J., & Donohue, G. M. (2009). Practicing medicine in difficult times:
protecting physicians from malpractice litigation. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers

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