[4 Samples] Letter Notifying Patients Physician Leaving Practice

Do you intend to change up your usual routine? Then, we can easily assist you in sending a letter to patients notifying them that a doctor is leaving their practice!

Numerous data privacy rules, such as HIPAA, PIPEDA, etc., have a significant regulatory impact on the healthcare sector.

Therefore, doctors who are beginning employment at another practice or who are shutting their business and moving face a lot of pressure.

70% of doctors change employers during their first two years of practice.

All of them must adhere to several conditions, such as giving the required amount of notice and writing a sample letter informing patients' doctors that they are leaving their practices.

For doctors to practice in various states or counties, there are varied criteria. Therefore, it is advised that you speak with a local healthcare attorney about your concerns.

To ensure that their patient's transition seamlessly, doctors must take special care. Additionally, they must do all of their tasks and fulfill their commitments to their practice.

Sounds challenging, doesn't it?

This manual will assist you in comprehending your most significant obligations when leaving or retiring. Additionally, it will guide you through the process of writing a patient farewell letter that is successful.

You may also like: Letter of Medical Necessity for the Caregiver Medical

Notifying Patients of a Doctor's Retirement

You may have observed that communicating with your patients about your leaving is essential in each of the processes we covered above. It is not just a piece of advice; several state and federal regulations make it a mandate.

In most places, a doctor quitting their job must provide at least 30 days' notice to all of their patients. If you are not aware of these obligations, consult an attorney and have a letter of communication to patients and other parties prepared.

Several regulations leaving doctors must meet in each state. Let's use the Texas Medical Board's (TMB) guidelines for physician practice termination as an example.

The board requires leaving practitioners to provide notice of their retirement, termination of practice, relocation, etc., along with any other pertinent information.

You could also inquire as to how a doctor needs to inform patients of their relocation or retirement from practice. Fortunately, TMB tackles this issue as well and suggests that doctors use the following channels for publishing notifications:

Post notices in local newspapers read in the practice area as well as in publications with the highest general distribution across all the states you practice in.

Post a written announcement at your office for the benefit of any walk-in clients.

Send a customized note to every patient you visited in the last two years.

In addition to TMB, the California Medical Board also mandates that a doctor quitting their practice notify patients in advance. Other commitments might be:

the message should provide the appropriate address so that patients may get in touch with the doctor even after they depart

allowing patients time to move their documents if they so want

mentioning the date of your departure.

How you inform a patient that you are going is now another issue that arises. Direct mail letters are the most common method of individually informing patients.

It is the most private, secure, and legally-compliant method of informing patients that a doctor is leaving their Florida-based practice.

Writing a Letter to Patients When Leaving Practice: Some Advice

It's critical to design a letter that accomplishes your goals and has a long-lasting effect on your patients. Your letter must demonstrate that you are parting ways amicably and are appreciative of your time spent there.

Many times, doctors struggle to create a solid example letter to tell patients of their leaving. To help you out a little bit, we have included a few things below:

1. Be direct and individualized

Your devoted patients should be informed of your intentions to quit the practice. They would also value your transparency and honesty throughout the whole scenario. So, consider giving the doctor's goodbye letter to the patient a personal touch.

Include some information about your new business or position. If your patients are aware of your location after you leave your present practice, it is always a good thing. They may then get in touch with you if they wish to continue receiving your care.

Remember to thank your patients in your last medical practice letter as well. They'll feel unique, and they will support you in maintaining your doctor-patient connection.

2. Be aware of HIPAA

When drafting a letter to patients from a doctor leaving practice, according to the rules and regulations governing data protection may not be your main priority.

However, it is quite important since you don't want to depart in violation of the HIPAA rules. Of course, you are free to include personal stories in the letter, but keep any information regarding your patients' medical treatment to yourself to prevent data breaches.

How to Create Direct Mail Campaigns That Comply with HIPAA?

The physician's resignation letter to patients may be unlawful if it contains any material that might be construed as revealing personal medical information about the patient.

It may result in severe sanctions and other problems. To prevent these issues, you might go to a healthcare attorney in your neighborhood and run your letter past them once.

Recommend Other Medical Professionals Who Can Step In for You

Patients could experience anxiety as a result of the necessity to locate a new doctor after their departure. However, you may assist them by suggesting other medical professionals to whom they might switch to get the necessary care.

Ideally, provide the names and credentials of the doctors you suggest who work at the hospital. It will enhance the content of your letter to patients when you close you're practice to allay their concerns.

1. Assure Your Patients That Nothing Will Affect Their Healthcare

The fact that their healthcare will undergo a substantial transformation is another issue that can worry your patients. But as their doctor, you must reassure them that they can keep receiving the greatest care from the same clinic as before.

Your sample letter informing patients that a doctor is leaving a practice should include some comforting phrases like these:

2. In capable hands, so is your health.

You'll still get top-notch medical treatment from my colleagues at ABC Hospital.

Your medical care won't be impacted in any manner.

Creating patient trust and faith in the doctor's moving letter to patients for your institution is your responsibility here. They need to have faith that the facility would carry on their care without incident.

3. Include contact details for your institution.

Don't forget to include all of your healthcare facility's contact information in the letter informing patients that a doctor in California is ceasing to practice. Include the entire address, email address, reception phone number, and, if possible, the phone numbers of the recommended physicians.

By doing this, you may make it simple for patients to make appointments, get their reports, and other types of touch with the facility. If you don't advise your patients who to contact when you leave, a doctor's note to patients before leaving a practice is meaningless.

4. Utilize the Right Letter Format

Even when writing a letter for a doctor quitting their practice, use a readable font and follow the right structure. Avoid utilizing m than one page and difficult-to-understand terminology in your documentation.

Divide your message to patients of a doctor's leaving into manageable chunks so that it may be quickly skimmed. It is advisable to type your letter on company letterhead and have a real person sign each copy.

You may also add your patients' names to each letter to make it more unique. It will make your remarks seem more sincere and provide your patients the satisfying personal resolution they so richly deserve.

1. Sample letter physician leaving practice

To the [Patient]:

I'm writing to let you know that I'll be leaving [Name of Group] as of [date]. This doesn't necessarily imply that I'll leave you as your doctor since I'm moving to the [Name of New Group] at the location below to begin a new practice.

[Practice Phone & Address]
If you would like, I would be pleased to treat you via my new group. My new team has

a contract with the following plans:

List of plans

If your plan is not mentioned, you may talk to your employer about joining one of these other plans if you want to keep coming to see me. Alternatively, get in touch with me and I'll check to see if my new group can agree to your proposal. Another choice is to keep seeing me privately or for full payment, however, I realized this could not really be an option.

You may continue receiving healthcare services from [Current Group], and the organizational see to it that you are moved to a different physician who is completely competent.

Please let [Current Group] know as soon as possible which of the aforementioned possibilities is the greatest fit for you. It has been a pleasure for me to be your doctor.

Sincerely,

2. Sample letter to patients doctor leaving

Although there is no set format for letters terminating a doctor's practice, the following template might assist you in creating a strong one:

To,

Hello, Mr. George [A formal greeting]

[State the reason for this HIPAA physician leaving practice letter, along with the date of your leave. Mention your intentions briefly and the reason you're leaving the practice in your letter. Remember to wish them success and express thanks if you are an institution drafting a letter to announce a doctor's leaving.]

[Discuss how the patient may continue getting care at the facility in the exact same manner as before.]

[Show your patients how to transfer their medical records in the paragraph after this physician leaves practice

[Add your contact information here so that patients may get in touch with you if they have any follow-up questions or concerns.]

[Crossing out]

[Signature]

3. Physician changing practice letter

Here is an example letter that you may use to advise patients when a doctor is leaving their practice:

Greetings,

We wish you good health! An AMI doctor is quitting his or her practice stated in this letter. In May 2022, Charles White, M.D., will depart our hospital to pursue other opportunities. After deciding to return to his native Oklahoma and continue his career, he made this choice.

We wish him the best of luck in his future activities even though it has not been easy for us to part ways with such a talented, diligent, and compassionate doctor.

We wish to reassure you that your treatment will be provided as normal by the other top experts in our institution notwithstanding the closing of Dr. Charles' medical practice. You may still make appointments and get the necessary medical treatment by calling (402) 68952 2770.

If you have any queries concerning the changeover, you can also call this number or send us an email.

If you want to continue receiving care from Dr. Charles in the meantime, you may have your patient medical records moved. Please be aware that AMI will keep all of your data's original copies.

Sincerely,

4. New physician letter to patients

To,

Greetings,

Regarding my leaving the Princeton Medical Care Center on April 10, 2022, please see this letter. I'm beginning a new position at the Welfare Hospital in Jersey City to investigate potential ophthalmology options.

I had the honor of joining Princeton Medical Care Center two years ago as a young doctor. During this period, I encountered some of the most incredible patients who included me in their life adventures. In this letter of physician retirement announcement, I would want to express my profound gratitude to every one of you for your unwavering support and faith in me.

Please know that Dr. June Havens, will be joining us this month, so your medical care is in excellent hands with us. She has more than five years of expertise in this industry and has successfully treated thousands of patients. Additionally, you may continue receiving therapy from ophthalmologist specialists Jade Ambler and Aria James.

You may contact me at (609) 254-4181 while I'm still here since I understand that a doctor leaving his or her practice could make you uncomfortable. We may then talk about how you could continue receiving medical treatment in this manner. You may make an appointment with any of the physicians I've suggested by calling the reception number shown on the letterhead.

Please be aware that when I move on, the institution will continue to have your medical information. Contact Princeton Medical via email at [email protected] to view your records and request copies.

Once again, I want to express my gratitude and appreciation for everything. I am leaving with a sad heart, but I know that Princeton Medical Care Center will provide you with excellent care and treatment going forward.

Kind regards, Precautions for Departing Doctors to Take to Avoid Legal Trouble:

Yes, it is required by law to send a doctor's prpractice notice of termination. However, there are still a few more matters that a doctor who is ending their practice or leaving should attend to, such as:

1. Reviewing the Practice's Policies and Your Signed Documents

You should go through every contract you signed when you joined the practice before quitting. Make sure you are familiar with every clause of your operating agreement, shareholders' agreement, deferred compensation agreement, and employment contract (if your firm is an LLP).

As a doctor leaving practice, you should also review your job tenure and exit procedures. Again, it would be helpful if you were aware of your responsibilities and satisfied them before your departure.

2. Knowledge of Notice Provisions

In most cases, your employment contract may require you to provide notice before you are free to leave the practice. Therefore, before creating an example letter to advise patients of your departure, thoroughly comprehend these clauses.

If you don't notify your practice in advance that you're quitting, they could claim a contract violation and impose stiff sanctions. Additionally, the institution may charge you for hiring a locum tenens (temporary) physician to carry out your tasks.

In addition, several deferred-compensation agreements rely on how much notice you provide. For some of these agreements, the doctor must provide an incredibly lengthy notice period (such as one year) to be eligible for such compensation.

Thus, before delivering a physician resignation letter to patients, it is crucial to meet your notice obligations.

3. Making Retirement Benefits Plans

You should not worry about retiring soon if you are a doctor leaving your practice to work for another reorganization however, if you are retiring, you should make all necessary preparations and be sure to take full use of your retirement benefits.

Make sure your departure date doesn't deprive you of these advantages in any manner, such as by retiring a few days sooner and forfeiting a year's worth of benefits.

The doctor must also work for a full year to be eligible for certain retirement preprogram. Therefore, it may not be the greatest moment for you to start working at another practice your retirement date is in six months.

To prevent any more problems, try understanding all the regulations about Texas' informing patients of physician retirement and your retirement policy.

4. Take Your Patients' Needs Into Account

Without a question, it is ethically wrong to forsake your patients and leave them in a hopeless condition. Additionally, the AMA standards see physician retirement from practice as unlawful.

If a doctor abruptly ends all contact with patients while they need continuous medical care, patient desertion is a severe issue. Any doctor who is caught leaving their patients is accused of malpractice and may suffer serious repercussions.

Therefore, the first item on your physician leaving practice checklist should be to take into account your patient's needs before taking any action.

5. Finding out who has ownership of patient medical records

Being in charge of a patient's medical data is a very serious responsibility. Therefore, avoid sharing your patients' data with a coworker or making an unofficial deal with your practice.

When leaving a practice, a doctor should make it clear who will be the owner of the patient records. Such information should also be included in the job contract to prevent any misunderstandings between the institution and the doctor.

Frequently, the prapracticeot the doctor is the owner. It would be appropriate to include this in the doctor's last letter to the patient before leaving the practice. Additionally, some states let patients move their medical records to their doctor's new office.

6. Keeping Your Mouth Shut

Almost all retiring physicians want that their practices provide tail coverage or a longer reporting period (ERP). It is a feature that allows you to submit claims even after your insurance has ended or expired.

When a doctor quits their job without good reason, they are still responsible for paying for the ERP. But in other instances, as when it requests a doctor's unjustified resignation, the institution pays it.

Finding out who will pay for it is a little tricky, so consider speaking with a lawyer and carefully going through your job records.

7. Respecting non-competition agreements

A non-competition policy or provision forbids the physician from working for another institution within a certain geographic region for a certain period, such as two years, after leaving prapracti or instance, this condition may prohibit you from prapracticing to 50 miles (or five miles) away from your previous institution if you live in an urban region.

Therefore, before quitting your job and writing an example letter to patients from doctor moving practices, make sure you fully grasp these stipulations.

8. Fulfilling Your Post-Retirement Duties

You may believe that when you retire, your commitments disappear, but this is seldom the case. You must still reply to the board's demands, such as subpoenas. So, after informing patients that a doctor is leaving his or her prapractice in Tennessee, try keeping up with these things.

Consider signing an agreement with a medical records custodian who can respond to all the subpoenas. Also, take care to change your medical lilicensetatus to inactive or retired.

Another thing to be careful about is not prescribing drugs to your family members and friends after retirement. It can lead to charges of non-therapeutic prescribing and more.

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[4 Samples] Letter Notifying Patients Physician Leaving Practice