Logan Lutton

The following is a question from a physician reader:

Can a practice legally refuse to treat a patient if they have an unpaid balance but they haven’t been officially dismissed from the practice?

: This issue was touched upon in an earlier blog in which I discussed 

. In all patient challenges, the most important goal is to avoid a claim of patient abandonment and assure that patient care is not neglected. Regardless of the reason for your issues with a patient, whether it’s unpaid bills, failure to follow advice, or mistreatment of staff, the same advice applies:

Discharging Patients with Unpaid Balances

, JD, LLM has practiced in the area of regulatory and transactional healthcare law for more than 20 years. She represents physicians and other healthcare providers across the country in their day-to-day legal needs, including contract negotiations, sale transactions, and complex joint ventures. She also works with providers on a wide variety of compliance issues such as Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, and HIPAA. Ericka has been writing for Physicians Practice since 2011.

Articles

A physician asks whether he can legally refuse treatment to a patient with an unpaid balance. Here are five legal considerations.

Can You Discharge Patients with Unpaid Balances?

In this video, David Cohen, chief product and technology officer of 

, discusses the concept of integrated telehealth solutions and how this impacts workflows.

Videos

The concept of integrated telehealth solutions and how this impacts workflows. 

Integrated telehealth solutions

Even the best physicians face the possibility of a lawsuit on an almost daily basis. However, research shows that many lawsuits today are not about medical errors, but about poor communication and misunderstanding.

Ensuring effective communication should become a systematic and integrated approach into overall efforts to minimize errors, improve outcomes, control med-mal costs, maintain contracts, and manage the reputation of your practice.

Below is a practical guide, based on 28 years of experience working with physicians, to minimize liability claims stemming from communication oversights and misunderstandings.

Ways to avoid a malpractice suit

, CPCU, RPLU, is president and chairman of the board of The MGIS Companies, a leading national provider of physician insurance products. With nearly 30 of experience, Brunken is an expert on physician protection. 

Slideshows

Here is a practical guide to minimize liability claims stemming from communication oversights and misunderstandings at your medical practice.

Dr. Reena Pande, Chief Medical Officer of 

, shares her thoughts on how physicians can remain updated with standards of care as they continue to evolve in this heightened era of telehealth.

How physicians can remain updated with standards of care.