When a patient gets treatment from a particular hospital and a doctor, he establishes a relationship of practice with that doctor. This relationship is very important for effective and fruitful treatment. However, sometimes the treatment does not work and it seems as if the patient and the doctor are wasting their time and money. In that situation, the doctor and the patient both have a right to end this relationship. When this happens, the name of the patient from the general practice list is removed.
What is a letter to remove the patient from GP list?
Every hospital has a general practice list in which the name of the patient and the kind of treatment he is getting are mentioned. This list shows the practice areas of the doctors also. When the hospital or the doctor decides to remove the patient from the GP list, he writes a letter to the patient or someone belonging to that patient. In this letter, the recipient is informed about the decision of the hospital or the doctor to remove the patient from that list.
When to write to inform about patient’s removal from general practice list?
This letter is written in some particular situations. Some of these situations are:
- The doctor can write this letter when there is a disagreement between him and his patient on the type of treatment being administered and it has resulted in a breakdown of a relationship.
- When the patient is no longer in the practice area the practice list has been designed for, the doctor can remove him from this list.
- When the patient does not show compliance with the policies of the hospital and causes disturbance in the relationship between him and the doctor, he can be removed from the general practice list.
- The doctor can write the removal of the patient from the practice list when the patient is no longer alive.
Who to write?
The hospital or doctor is required to inform about deleting the name of the patient from the practice list to guardians or family members of the patient so that they can immediately take over the custody of the patient. This letter is also written to the high authorities of the hospital such as the manager or head of the department.
Tips for writing a letter of patient removal from GP list:
If you find yourself in a situation in which you must inform the recipient about the removal of a patient, you should come up with a letter that looks like a professional piece of writing and is free from ambiguity.
Discuss the patient-doctor relationship:
The letter should be started with an explanation of why the patient was brought to the hospital and why his name was added to the GP list. The doctor can also discuss the ailments the patient was getting treatment of.
Address policies of the hospital regarding deleting patients from the list:
After introductory details, the doctor intended to remove the patient from his practice list should refer to those policies and regulations of the hospital that allow the doctor to remove the patient from his GP list due to certain reasons.
State the reason:
There is always a reason behind removing a patient from the GP list. When a doctor stops practicing on a particular patient, he has to come up with a reason. The reason should be stated briefly. It should be ensured that the healthcare practitioner has one of the allowed reasons to remove the patient. If the reason is not good enough or permissible, he can put his practice into question.
Send best wishes:
As a doctor, you should show empathy and kindness. Even if you had a brawl with the patient that compelled you to remove him, you should never hold a grudge for the patient and show it in the letter. Express warm and good wishes for the patient.
Provide your contact details:
The recipient of the letter might want to contact you to obtain some more information about the removal. You should keep this possibility in your mind and provide your contact number, email address, and other details.
Sample Letter
To
(Patient Name)
(Address)
Dear (Patient’s Name)
This letter is to notify you that effective from (date) I can no longer be your GP doctor. I apologize for ending this patient-doctor relationship. The reason behind this is (state reason).
It was a shock when I received complaints about the troublesome behavior you have displayed at my clinic, that I took out time to observe this myself. I am left with no other choice.
I am providing you with some time (state how many days) to find a doctor. I will be giving you any medical care you need for this month.
I will send you all the copies of your medical records so that no issues are faced by your new physician.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
(Title)
