Managing a Patient Who Asks for a Transfer of Records

Neil Baum, MD

Neil Baum, MD, is Clinical Associate Professor of Urology, Tulane Medical School, New Orleans, LA, and author of Marketing Your Clinical Practice: Ethically, Effectively, and Economically, Jones Bartlett Publishers.

On occasion you will be asked by a patient to send a copy of his or her records to another physician. This situation is very common today as patients are often changing locations and will seek out another physician closer to their home or place of employment. In other instances, patients are asking for their records because they want a second opinion. In either situation you must provide the patient with a copy of their records. I suggest sending the records to the patient and not the doctor. If the patient hasn’t made an appointment with the new doctor, the records can easily be lost or misplaced and the patient will ask you again to send another copy. I also suggest that you attach a gracious letter stating your appreciation of being able to provide them with medical care and complimenting them on their choice of a new physician. If you send the records to the patient you accomplish several objectives: (1) the letter and their records lets the patient know you have complied with their request; (2) you won’t be asked to make additional copies in the future; and (3) you leave the door open for the patient to return to the practice.
 
I have used this system for several years and I am amazed at how many patients will return to my practice after going elsewhere for a brief period of time. I think this letter helps bring patients back to your practice and lets them know that there is no malice on your part.
 
Bottom line: Part with a patient through the front door. Be proactive, kind, and caring, and you are likely to see these patients again.