Sample Patient Dismissal Letter

Do you think it is time to let go of some patients? If yes, you must take a standardized approach to inform them about your decision to ensure you follow the regulations. It also helps you maintain a positive brand image. Hence, learning how to write a patient dismissal letter is crucial. You must draft this message and send it through direct mailers.

Healthcare providers and institutions can use letter templates to curate the letters. However, they must ensure that the messages comply with the state’s regulations to include essential information in the dismissal letter.

This blog discusses how to write the ultimate patient dismissal letter to inform patients of your service termination. We will also discuss why you must send it and how.

#1 Patients show resentment because they are unhappy with your services.

Often, patients stop coming to appointments or following the treatment plan because of dissatisfaction. Poor healthcare outcomes can add to the cause. Hence, please consider speaking to them before sending the dismissal letter dental patient and losing a valuable customer.

You can often send a survey form to let patients express their emotions or opinions about your healthcare services, primarily if they stop showing up. It is an excellent way to ensure constant interactions and get them to continue treatment.

Patients might be dissatisfied with your treatment plan or have difficulty following it. Though some people might have unreasonable expectations (like overnight health improvements), you can save many relationships with a simple talk. Thus, try sending a survey form before the patient dismissal letter to let them speak up.

Of course, you might need to send the letter if they don’t respond. But it’s worth a try, right?

#2 Patients have differences with you or your staff.

You might need to deal with angry patients more often than you think. However, you can have another staff member or resource talk to them or take an alternative approach while thinking of writing them a patient discharge letter for behavior. Providers must not tolerate offensive language toward themselves or their staff and take the necessary steps to manage these circumstances.

Patients refuse to adhere to the treatment. Some people might need help following the plan, while others disagree to take the medication or conduct other essential tasks, like exercising. Please record the details of such non-compliance in the patient’s record and inform them of the potential consequences.

#3 Tell them how it can impact the patient’s health.

Also, write a letter to inform them about your disability to continue as their provider if they don’t follow the treatment protocols. Failure to respond or modify their actions can be a valid reason for you to send a discharging patient from your practice letter to their mailing address.

It is recommended to explore all options before sending a patient dismissal letter to anyone. As discussed earlier, you must try to communicate with them for your and their sake.

Most people write negative reviews online about a provider’s healthcare services because they are dissatisfied or feel the institution couldn’t cater to their needs. There is no going back from a tarnished online reputation. Thus, considering alternatives before terminating relationships is crucial. 

Also, you can contact the person via call or SMS before sending the letter. It opens a new communication channel and lets both parties speak openly about their relationship.

Dismissing patients is a significant decision with many legal and ethical risks. Healthcare providers who cover all grounds for ending the relationship might also encounter reputational, lawful, and professional consequences. 

Therefore, we have enlisted a few factors you should consider before drafting a discharge letter for the patient. 

• Do the patients who receive the patient dismissal letter know their behavior is causing a nuisance or issue? If not, you must communicate it to them several times before discharging. Also, try recording these interactions to present later as evidence if things go to court. 
• Can your organization offer education or monetary help to patients who cannot afford your services and, hence, have outstanding bills?
• Did you take the necessary steps to learn why the patient has become or has been non-compliant? Are there any significant changes you made that might have caused them to behave differently?
• Are you sending an upfront patient dismissal letter dental and have mentioned the consequences explicitly?
• Do your internal policies align with the patient’s termination?
• Are your practice operations interfering with the patient attending appointments or following a treatment plan?

Please ensure to answer these questions before discharging patients. Dismissal should be your last resort. Also, you must send an official patient dismissal letter if the person has not requested care termination- to avoid legal action.

The standard dismissal letter starts with providers consulting the patient’s insurer about the healthcare plans. Then, they send the dismissal letter via Certified Mail and the return receipt requested. However, they must do more than that!

The letter must explain that you have dismissed the patient relationship. The patient can contact you for emergency care services until a specified date, around 30 days from the date of termination. Please keep your staff members in the loop so they can schedule your appointments accordingly and learn which patients to entertain. 

Physicians need not help the patients find another provider unless the patient’s healthcare plan mentions otherwise. Hence, knowing the state’s rules about the subject is crucial when writing the ultimate patient dismissal letter or message. 

You must help patients transfer their medical documents to their new medical provider. It shows your commitment toward contributing to the person’s well-being even after terminating care. Also, please refrain from contacting the patient’s future physician after transferring records to discuss treatment. 

Some patients might be out of town or have not yet collected mail from the Post Office. You can show them a copy of the mailing receipt and patient dismissal letter if they contact you after 30 days to schedule an appointment. Please reiterate that you can no longer provide your healthcare services to them for said reasons.

However, your letter needs to have all the necessary details to become valid, including

• The recipient’s name. 
• The date when you drafted the dismissal letter dental patient. 
• Reason/s for the care termination. 
• New care provider recommendations. 
• Date when the termination will become effective. (You can include a time frame or a specific date)
• Length of the patient-provider relationship. (optional)
• Reference to the neighborhood’s physician referral solutions, if available. 
• Methods to transfer records to the new provider. 
• Availability of time to discuss ongoing treatment and history with a new provider. (optional)
• Doctor’s printed name with the organization’s stamp. 

You can follow these tips to write an efficient patient dismissal letter to inform people about their care termination:

Be Upfront About the Reason for Patient Termination

Patients want to know why providers terminate their care. Thus, mention the reason in short to help them understand and move on to a new provider.

Please explain that dismissal was because of the patient’s non-compliance with the office regulations, treatment plans, operations, and other issues. Factually present these details in your discharge letter for patient to leave zero scope for misinterpretation, landing you in legal trouble.

Include Emergency Care Details

Inform patients that you will offer emergency care until a specified date or till they get a new provider, whichever comes first. Also, you can provide refill prescriptions during this time frame if you deem it essential. 

Prepare to Transfer Medical Records

Patients have the legal right to get a copy of their medical documents from your office or have you transfer them to their new providers. Hence, include an authorization form with the patient dismissal letter to release records. It simplifies and speeds up the process for all parties. 

Give a Clear Deadline

You can mention a date, like 30 days from the termination letter, to help patients find new providers. Also, you may include a time frame, like five weeks or a month. 

Providers cannot dismiss patients instantly. They must give reasonable notice to avoid legalities. However, check your state’s specific rules when writing the dental patient dismissal letter for better compliance.

Get to the Point

You need not beat around the bush since you are sending a termination message. Your letter must mention “This letter is to inform you about your care termination” explicitly. 

Patients must immediately understand your letter’s motive without confusion. 

 Also Read: Sample Appeal Letters for Medical Claim Denials

Here are some patient dismissal letter samples for your reference:

#1 Care Termination Confirmation to Patients

The below letter is a standard format around which you can draft your messages.

#2 Termination of the Patient-Provider Relationship

Below is a letter to terminate patients based on their behaviors: 

Most third-party payers have their policies regarding sending the patient dismissal letter and terminating the relationship. Hence, you must keep a copy of these protocols handy to avoid contrasts.

Many commercial procedures require the organization to send an insurance company notification with a 30-day patient notice.

However, Government healthcare payers have stricter regulations and protocols. The state closely regulates a patient’s involuntary disenrolment. You might need an extensive document check and approval around the patient’s termination.

Please review your state and manual policies before writing a discharge of a patient from your practice letter, primarily if the patients are Medicaid or Medicare enrollees.

Another thing to consider is that the AMA has stated physicians cannot decline service to people based on their caste, creed, race, sex, color, sexual orientation, or other factors constituting discrimination. Thus, lawsuits regarding unfair patient termination have been increasing. It is best to consult an attorney when sending the patient dismissal letter to prevent your clinic from these issues.

Please refrain from sending termination correspondence via email or other digital modes. It is best to send it through the USPS First-Class Mail. You can pay a small fee to upgrade to Certified Mail and get a return receipt with the recipient’s signature. It is proof that the patient has received your letter.

Always maintain records of the patient dismissal letter you send to patients with other correspondence. It lets you prepare to terminate relationships and prove the reason in court, if essential. 

You might receive some negative comments and reviews before and after patients receive the message, primarily when you send a patient discharge letter for behavior.

Try gathering your thoughts to positively respond to negative reviews. Express gratitude and showcase how significant patient satisfaction is for your institution. You may thank the patients for the years they have had with you. 

Also, please take criticism positively and determine whether you can learn something from it. The most significant part is citing specific policies and responding according to the HIPAA rules.

You can send another letter with specific instances interfering with your operational practices. However, please ensure your response is relevant to the patient’s complaint. It shows you are open to interact and answer queries.

PostGrid’s direct mailing software solutions allow you to send a patient dismissal letter without your staff having to do the manual work. You can integrate our physical mail API with your hospital management system best for you to fetch the patient’s details and automatically send them termination mailers.

The best part is you can set up triggered mailing campaigns, wherein you can send timely correspondence to patients to keep in touch. It allows you to understand their problems early and take resolutory action. 

Contact us for more information on designing, printing, and sending the patient dismissal letter online!