APMA News - May/June 2017 - 64

Coverage Corner
Submitted by PICA

How Do I Notify My Patients that
I'm Retiring or Closing My Practice?
As more and more baby boomers are nearing
retirement age, we're receiving more questions
about how to handle closing a practice. Here's
our advice:
Written notification should be sent via
certified mail 90 days prior to retirement/
closure to patients who have been seen within
the past year. A copy of the letter and certified
mail receipts should be placed in the patient's medical record.
The letter should include the following:
the date the practice will close;
the importance of seeking continued care;
information about where the patient's medical records
will be located (e.g., another podiatrist's office);
notification that a copy of the patient's records will be
sent to another podiatrist of the patient's choice upon
receipt of the patient's written authorization;
a medical record release authorization form;
a statement of how long the patient's records will be
retained; and
a permanent mailing address (or PO Box) for all future
record requests if the records will not be maintained at
the current location.

If the podiatrist will be storing his or her
paper medical records on his or her own, he or
she needs to make sure the records are stored
in a secure place that meets HIPAA requirements. The podiatrist should have access to a
secure copy machine if a patient requests a
copy of his or her medical records. If the podiatrist used EHR, he or she must be able to
access the digital medical records and provide a
copy to the patient upon request.
If the podiatrist is selling the practice or releasing his
or her custodial rights of medical records to another podiatrist, an agreement for transfer retention of medical records form should be signed by the retiring podiatrist and
the new podiatrist. A copy should be given to the new po-

PICA has a sample letter for policyholders called the "Closing-Retiring Practice" letter that can be downloaded from www.
picagroup.com. Log in, click on the "Risk Management" tab, and
then select "Forms."
Patients receiving ongoing care and treatment should also
receive verbal notification, with a discussion of their plan of
treatment and coordination of follow-up care, all of which
should be documented.
Office staff should begin to let patients know of the podiatrist's retirement when patients call to schedule appointments
several months in advance.
Other patient notification efforts include:
placing an announcement on the office's website (if applicable); and
placing an advertisement in the local newspaper a few
weeks prior to the office closing. The ad should state
when the podiatrist is retiring/closing practice and provide a telephone number and address where patients can
request a copy of their medical records.

diatrist, and the retiring podiatrist should keep the original. A sample form for policyholders can be found on the
PICA website.
Once the practice is closed, the podiatrist should consider
continuing the practice's phone service for several months.
There should be a recording stating the practice has closed
and providing instructions for obtaining alternate care and a
copy of medical records if needed. If arrangements have been
made to transfer the practice's patients to another podiatrist,
callers can be directed to that podiatrist.
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64 APMA News May/June 2017

For more information, contact PICA's risk management
department at 800-251-5727, ext. 2107.

This article is not intended to constitute legal advice or create an attorneyclient relationship, but is intended for general information only. An attorney
or other resource should be consulted regarding individual cases.

Original graphic by Shutterstock/Inspiring.

PICA has a sample letter for
policyholders called the
"Closing-Retiring Practice"
letter that can be downloaded
from www.picagroup.com.

http://www.picagroup.com http://www.picagroup.com http://www.picagroup.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - May/June 2017