You’re fired, again

It read to me like the woman needed help with her depression more than the lung-whatever.

It also seems to me from reading the article that she called and cancelled the appointment rather than no-show. If she called the same day, it is a problem. But if she gave advance warning e.g. called a week in advance, I don’t see what the problem is.

The article also didn’t say if the doctor tried referring her to mental health specialist first.

In terms of non-compliance – in some cases the line between non-compliance and patient’s right to refuse treatment. We all should have a right to refuse defensive tests or even recommended preventive care – e.g. screening or statins for primary prevention without fear that we’d be “fired”.

“Being fired for not following up doesn’t mean a condemnation of the person’s character–it means that the doctor is not comfortable being responsible for the person’s medical care with the level of follow-up…”

And if termination letters were written with this kind of explanation, patients would understand. But they are not. Clinic risk managers don’t allow such detail. You get a terse, catch-all statement such as “Due to past interactions..” and the phone number of your insurance provider to call for seeking other care. If you ask questions, you get the same answer: “You were terminated due to past interactions. This is our final decision.”

Maybe the doctor don’t intend for the action to be a condemnation, but after the lawyers get involved that’s exactly what it is. You guys need to appreciate that before taking such drastic measures. What you intend may not be the action that actually gets carried out.