Poll of the Week – What Patient Dismissal Dilemmas Do You face?

Our June cover story focuses on patient dismissal. It points out that though patient dismissal is not the most appealing route for physicians and administrators to take, sometimes it is necessary.

"I can hardly think of a time where a [malpractice] case went to trial and the physician did not say to me, 'I knew that this patient was bad news,' or 'I hoped that she would go away on her own,' or 'I didn't take the time to figure out how I could terminate the patient,'" said Susan Keane Baker, a consultant in risk management and patient relations based in New Canaan, Conn. "It's not the patient who's terminated that keeps the doctor up at night. It's the one who should have been terminated but wasnt."

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