Question:
Hi Jennifer,
I have a patient making inappropriate comments to my front desk person. Today, she came in without an appointment and said “I moved in next door, now I can come in anytime and harass you. You’re going to need to get a restraining order.” What is the best way of handling this? Do I give her a verbal warning only? Document in the EMR the conversation?
Appreciate your insight!
Dr. M
Answer:
Hi! Any which way we parse (sexual nature, aggressive and threatening, etc.) this seems to be harassment and you, as the employer, have an obligation to shield the employee from continued contact with the patient. A few ideas to consider -
Unless the patient is in the middle of active care for a medically necessary reason, you may wish to terminate the patient from the practice. have responded properly as the employer by looking to shield / limit employee's exposure.
If the employee feels harassed we make it known she can file a personal police report (have to have on the list).
Yes, we document any verbal warning to the patient in the chart - you can post to the administrative section or non-medical of your EMR. Documentation can be as simple as this email chain appended to her chart. There is no proscribed format.
The impacted employee should also send you an email describing any interaction. Call me with questions.
Happy to tag in, as needed. Call me to discuss specific circumstances. Sorry to see, and brace for more conflict as the holidays approach (unfortunately)!
