• Services
  • Attorneys
  • Media & Insights
  • Online Payment
Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. A description of the selection methodology can be found here.
  • Services
  • Attorneys
  • Media & Insights
  • About Us
  • Delivering Value
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Meritas
  • Online Payment
    A
    Alternative Dispute ResolutionAntitrust & Trade RegulationAppellate Practice
    B
    Banking & Financial ServicesBankruptcy, Creditors’ Rights, and Financial RestructuringBeer LawBusiness Law
    C
    Cannabis LawConstruction LawCriminal Defense
    E
    Economic Development LawElder Care & Special Needs LawElectronic Discovery ("E-Discovery")Environmental LawEstate Planning and Administration & Wealth PreservationExecutive Compensation and Employment Strategies
    F
    Food, Beverage & HospitalityFranchise Law
    H
    Health Care & Life SciencesHealth Care ProvidersHigher EducationHospitals and Health Networks
    I
    ImmigrationInsurance CoverageIntellectual PropertyIntellectual Property Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute ResolutionIntellectual Property Portfolio Strategy, Management & LicensingInternational BusinessInternet Law
    L
    Labor & EmploymentLiquor Law, Licensing, Manufacturing, and DistributionLitigation
    M
    Media Law & Creative Economy PracticeMergers & AcquisitionsMunicipal Law
    N
    Non-Profit Law
    P
    Patent Preparation and ProsecutionPharmaceutical / Medical Devices / Pharma ServicesProducts and Consumer Liability DefenseProfessional LiabilityPublic Utilities
    R
    Real Estate, Finance, and Land Use
    S
    SecuritiesSolar Energy
    T
    TaxationTelecommunicationsTrademark & Copyright Protection & Enforcement
    V
    Venture Tech & Emerging Growth Companies
    W
    White Collar Investigations & DefenseWorkers’ Compensation
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Pennsylvania
    • Blogs
    • Articles
    • Podcasts
    • COVID-19 Resources

    Categories

    Hospitals and Health Systems - Audits and Reimbursement Hospitals and Health Systems - Consent and Treatment Hospitals and Health Systems - Consent and Treatment|Hospitals and Health Systems - Corporate and Governance|Pharmaceutical Industry - Agreements with Physicians Hospitals and Health Systems - Corporate and Governance Hospitals and Health Systems - Corporate Compliance Hospitals and Health Systems - Fraud and Abuse Hospitals and Health Systems - Government Investigations Hospitals and Health Systems - Health Records Hospitals and Health Systems - HIPAA and HITECH Hospitals and Health Systems - Managed Care Hospitals and Health Systems - Medical Staff Issues Hospitals and Health Systems - Medical Training Programs Hospitals and Health Systems - Medicare Hospitals and Health Systems - Mergers, Affiliations and Joint Ventures Hospitals and Health Systems - Peer Review Hospitals and Health Systems - Professional Services Agreements Pharmaceutical Industry - Agreements with Physicians Pharmaceutical Industry - Regulatory Compliance Physicians and Providers - Audits and Reimbursement Physicians and Providers - Certifications Physicians and Providers - Credentialing Physicians and Providers - Disciplinary Actions Physicians and Providers - Employment Agreements Physicians and Providers - Fraud and Abuse Physicians and Providers - Government Investigations Physicians and Providers - HIPAA and Privacy Physicians and Providers - Impairment Physicians and Providers - Licensing Physicians and Providers - Litigation Physicians and Providers - Medicare Physicians and Providers - Peer Review Physicians and Providers - Practice Acquisitions Physicians and Providers - Practice Issues Physicians and Providers - Regulatory Compliance Physicians and Providers - Supervision Physicians and Providers - Training Uncategorized
    Blogs > The Legal Diagnosis > When a Patient Refuses to...
    Member
    Sandra Jarva Weiss
    Visit Profile

    When a Patient Refuses to Listen to Their Doctor

    When a Patient Refuses to Listen to Their Doctor

    The all-too-common experience of a patient refusing treatment or testing, or simply being non-compliant has become rampant. In order for practitioners to protect themselves, medical documentation must be more diligent than ever. Patient non-compliance can result in a multitude of negative ramifications to the practitioner.

    When a patient does not follow medical recommendations, each non-compliant inaction must be documented in the record, described in sufficient detail, and recorded each and every time advice is not followed. A physician always has the right to appropriately discharge a patient if efforts to compel compliance remain unsuccessful.

    More importantly, there are ways to speak with patients and attempt to bring them into compliance without creating additional friction between patient and physician. If a patient becomes disruptive to the practice, consider the potential reasons for the non-compliance and consider that the patient may be hesitant to discuss their reason. Accordingly, it is important for staff and physician to be on the same page when attempting to convince a patient to do what’s best for them and comply with sound medical advice. The more medical information shared with the patient the better. Bolstering a patient’s trust takes time!

    It is highly recommended that each practice adopt a uniform protocol for handling non-compliant patients. That does not mean that each situation is treated exactly the same, but the protocol will provide a framework for physicians and staff alike to generally deal with non-compliance situations.

    Clearly, there are degrees of non-compliance. Some can be tolerated and others can be extremely harmful to patient and practitioner alike. Every physician must be forward-thinking and aware that the patient's non-compliance does not automatically absolve the physician from responsibility for what ultimately happens to the patient.

    As long as the patient remains a patient, the physician must continue to try to bring that patient into compliance. All efforts and each refusal must be diligently recorded in the medical chart.

    If you have any questions on this or any other related matters, please contact Sandra Jarva Weiss, Chair of the Health Care and Life Sciences Practice Group, at sjarvaweiss@norris-law.com.
    Member
    Sandra Jarva Weiss
    Visit Profile

    Related Posts

    Resumption of In-Office Elective Surgery and Invasive Procedures in New Jersey The Targeting of Private Medical Office Data Pitfalls of Treating Family Members

    Share

    Tags

    #documentation #Medical Records #non-compliance #patient care #patients #physician practices #physicians #practice issues

    Helpful links

    • About Us
    • News
    • Services
    • Blogs
    • Attorneys
    • Articles
    • (COVID-19)
    • Award Methodology
    • Events
    • Join our Team
    Connect
    Online Payment

    Connect with Us

    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Youtube

    Join our growing team

    We are looking for quality attorneys to help us do more for our clients. At Norris McLaughlin, each attorney has the same opportunity to succeed whether you’re at the beginning of a career or pinnacle of the profession.

    Learn More

    Subscribe to our content

    Receive timely legal information delivered to your inbox

    This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
    © , Norris McLaughlin, P.A., All Rights Reserved. Attorney Advertising.
    VIEW OUR DISCLAIMER,  TERMS OF USE,  AND PRIVACY POLICY

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume you consent to our cookie policy. Learn more