Publications & Resources

How to Effectively Treat the Difficult Patient, Part 2

MLMIC shares guidance for interacting with patients who complain about treatment, fail to pay bills, lack capacity and more.

How to Write a Dental Patient Dismissal Letter to Properly Discharge a Patient from Care

Coming to the decision to discharge a dental patient from care is not easy. No dentist wants or enjoys doing so, but there are times in the dental-patient relationship when changing dentists is in the best interest of both the patient and the dentist.

Case Study: Treating a Noncompliant Patient

MLMIC provides a legal and risk management analysis of an ophthalmologist’s actions in regard to a noncompliant patient.

How to Effectively Treat Difficult Patients, Part 1

MLMIC shares guidance for interacting with patients who are hostile, drug seeking or noncompliant.

How to Effectively Treat Difficult Dental Patients: Part 1

In almost every dentist’s practice, there are difficult dental patients. In this first installment in our new blog series, we will provide recommendations for treating patients who demand or abuse narcotics; are rude or threatening to the dental professionals; or are noncompliant. All patients, even difficult ones, must be evaluated and treated by their dentists until and unless they have been formally discharged from care.

Your Dental Patient Doesn’t Take Your Advice. What Now?

Throughout their years of practice, dentists will occasionally encounter a dental patient who refuses to take their professional advice. So, what is the best course of action for dentists to both prioritize patient safety and minimize liability?

Maintaining Professional Patient Relationships

The physician-patient relationship plays a central role in medical care. Here are several recommendations for building trust and addressing challenges both online and in-person.

Registration Open for September 22 Webinar on Claims and Lessons Learned

The webinar hosted by MLMIC, HANYS and FAKS will help participants identify common causes of loss associated with malpractice claims in three high risk areas: diagnostic error, patient non-compliance and documentation.

Risk Management Checklists: Challenges Within the Physician-Patient Relationship

MLMIC encourages policyholders to review these important Risk Management Checklists on the physician-patient relationship, including guidance on properly discontinuing the physician-patient relationship, treating patients with whom you have a close relationship and managing patient noncompliance.

Risk Management Tip: Managing Patient Noncompliance

Patient noncompliance is one of the most difficult challenges for healthcare providers. Noncompliance may include missed appointments and the failure to follow a plan of care, take medications as prescribed, or obtain recommended tests or consultations. Review this Risk Management Tip from MLMIC to reinforce related policies and protocols within your practice or facility.