Patient Relations

If you are closing your practice, you need to let patients know and advise them to find another physician. Here is a letter you can use to get the job done.

Get the message right the first time. Use this form to make sure all the information is covered.

Instead of having patients carry all their medications to every visit, ask them to bring in this simple chart. It's a more efficient way to check for counterindications. You can even give patients a digital copy by saving it to a disk or e-mailing a copy. That makes it easy for patients to update it.

You give annual reviews to staff, why not to physicians? This form gives physicians feedback about their clinical quality, bedside manner, and ability to work with others.

Let new patients know about your policies from the get go. Follow these guidelines.

An easy way to find out what patients think of your practice -- and where you need to improve.

Joyce Dubensky, of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, talks about what happens when medicine and religion interact, and how you can provide religiously conscious care.

You can’t make the medical home model work on a practical basis without technology. But how to know what widgets are essential? Here’s your guide to the must-have technologies for your medical home practice.

Many practices use midlevel providers to care for patients with routine complaints. But it’s important to understand their legal scope of practice and necessary level of supervision.

Advances in care delivery and technology are taking root now that could significantly change the way care is delivered in the future. Healthcare’s innovative thinkers and practitioners give us their predictions for the future.

Editorial director Bob Keaveney wonders, “Are we facing a future without primary-care physicians?”

Do you feel helpless against the threat of lawsuits? Many docs do. Yet there are ways to reduce your risk of being sued. Arm yourself with best practices, to keep malpractice lawyers at bay.

Pay-for-performance programs, or P4P as they are more commonly known, are designed to improve the quality, effectiveness, and safety of patient care.

Want to know how to boost your scores on those seemingly arbitrary online physician-rating sites? The sites aren’t going away, so you’ll need to know how to make the best of them.

Dealing with constant call is the bane of many small physician groups. But with the right planning, even solo physicians can share call just like their big-practice peers. Here’s how.

Healthy referral relationships are vital to a thriving practice - whether you’re a specialist or in primary care. Here’s how a few small gestures and clear communication can keep you and your patients happy.

In many practices, partner conflict is as common as nasal infections. It may be easy to “let it go,” but that can lead to unprofessional conduct. Here’s how to diffuse disagreements and preempt disputes.

The traditional practice of primary care is complex - let’s face it, you could more accurately predict the likelihood of a patient presenting with a subdural hematoma based on his or her symptoms than you might Blue Cross’ likelihood of accepting a preauthorization for the CT scan.

Fifteen years after his 300-pound, 6’4” patient offered to toss him through his office window, psychiatrist Dennis Helmuth explains why he now looks forward to their appointments.

Patient Information Form -- Spanish

Patient Satisfaction Survey -- Spanish

I came across an unusual phrase the other day: “compassion fatigue.