When to End the Physician–Patient Relationship: Key Considerations and Steps

When to End the Physician–Patient Relationship: Key Considerations and Steps

This course explores the critical role trust plays in the physician-patient relationship and the factors that can erode that trust. It addresses the ethical and legal considerations involved in deciding whether to maintain or appropriately terminate a physician-patient relationship when trust is compromised. The course emphasizes the physician's fiduciary responsibility to ensure continuity of care, while also providing guidance on how to handle difficult situations and avoid potential ethical or legal pitfalls when ending the relationship. Learners will gain the skills necessary to navigate these challenging scenarios with professionalism and care.

This content was created for the reference of health care professionals and is not intended as legal advice or an opinion on specific situations. For guidance on the application of laws and regulations to individual cases, consult legal counsel before taking any action or making decisions.

Faculty
Megan Grew Pimentel is a Principal with the law firm of Adler, Cohen, Harvey, Wakeman & Guekguezian. She is an experienced trial lawyer handling a variety of matters in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire including medical malpractice, dental malpractice, and general liability matters. Megan also focuses her practice on the representation of healthcare professionals and institutions before the various Boards of Registration that govern these professionals.

Megan has served on the faculty of the Massachusetts Medical Society’s continuing medical education courses. She has lectured and published on the topic of risk management in her areas of practice to both private clients as well as organizations such as Coverys, Crico, Tufts Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. Megan serves as legal counsel to the Massachusetts Medical Society’s Legal Advisory Program and is an editor of its Newsletter.

Megan has been named as one of the “The Top Lawyers” in Boston Magazine. Since 2018, Megan has been selected, based on a vote of licensed attorneys in Massachusetts as a "Super Lawyer," a designation awarded to no more than 5% of the lawyers in Massachusetts and published annually in Boston Magazine and New England Super Lawyers. Previously, Megan was selected as a "Rising Star". Megan was also selected for inclusion in "The Best Lawyers in America," based on a comprehensive peer review selection process.

Intended Audience

This activity is designed for health care leaders, physicians, residents, other health care professionals and students in all health care professions.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• Review appropriate grounds for terminating the physician patient relationship.
• Document reasons for termination of the patient.
• Employ the proper method for termination
• Avoid claims of abandonment.

Accreditation & Credit Information
Accreditation Statement  
The Massachusetts Medical Society is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA Credit Designation Statement 
The Massachusetts Medical Society designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This activity meets the criteria for the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine for risk management study. 

National Commission on Certification of Physicians Assistant (NCCPA)
Physician Assistants may claim a maximum of 1.00 Category 1 credits for completing this activity. NCCPA accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME or a recognized state medical society.

Exam/Assessment: A score of 70% or higher is required to receive AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.

Course Fees:
Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) Physician Member: $40.00
MMS Resident/Student Member: FREE
Non-Member Physician: $90.00
Non-Members Resident/Student: $20.00
Allied Health Professional/Other: $32.00

Activity Term:
Original Release Date: February 18, 2025
Review Date(s): N/A  
Termination Date: February 18, 2028

Format & Estimated Time to Complete: Text, 1 Hour

Disclosure Statement

All individuals in control of the content for a Massachusetts Medical Society accredited continuing education activity must disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies for the past 24-months. For this activity, individuals in control of content did not disclose any relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

System Requirements
Desktops/Laptops
Windows 10
Mac OSX 10.6 higher

Most modern browsers including
IE 11+
Firefox 18.0+
Chrome latest version
Safari 12+

Mobile/Tablet
iOS devices beginning with OS version 10 or higher (includes, iPhone, ipad and iTouch devices)

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Contact Us
Contact us at nejmcust@mms.org  or (800) 843-6356. Massachusetts Medical Society, 860 Winter Street, Waltham, MA 02451.