Ask ECRI: Policy for Banning Former Patients from Hospital

​A member inquired about developing policies and procedures on banning patients from the hospital, e.g., patients who have been violent or drug-seeking or who do not adhere to care plans.

In our response, we strongly recommend consulting legal counsel if the hospital wants such a policy. Banning patients from a hospital is a much more complex legal and regulatory issue than banning patients from an independent private physician office. (The guidance article Managing Risks in Physician Practices, especially the section titled "Terminating the Physician-Patient Relationship," provides more information on terminating the physician-patient relationship in physician practices. ...