Release involves the removal of a patient from the program and the discontinuation of treatment. This action will only be implemented for legitimate causes including (but not limited to):
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Inability to pay for treatment
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Lack of interest in the program
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Unwillingness to accept treatment recommendations
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Moving out of the area
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Three or more cancellations and/or failed appointments
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Severe behavioral management problems
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Unavailability for regular appointments
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Formal referral to a collection agency
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The patient requested to discontinue treatment
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Treatment not within the scope of the program – too complex
It is not acceptable to release a patient because of race, sex, age, or occupation.
It is also not acceptable to deliberately neglect a patient whose needs do not coincide with your expectations or academic requirements. Patient neglect is a punishable offense and will be discussed in section 2.11.3 Patient Abandonment.
Never confront a patient with release without justifiable cause. To request release, see your Group Practice Director and PSC. A patient should never be confronted with dismissal unless the student has sufficient evidence that a valid reason exists. Always consult with the Director of Patient Relations before you consider these actions and certainly before the patient is informed.
The release of patients from the predoctoral program must be accompanied by proper documentation, which should include any information that may affect the future interactions of both the student and the College of Dentistry with the patient (financial difficulties, scheduling conflicts, unwillingness to accept planned treatment, mutual agreements to defer treatment, lengthy unavailability for treatment, etc.). Questionable patient releases require authorization from the Director of Patient Relations.
A single canceled or missed appointment is not reasonable grounds for release. While patients must be available at least two half-days per week, students will seldom see any patients more than once a week. If a patient is only available outside the normal clinical patient expectations, this may not be grounds for dismissal provided that their schedule coincides with the current available clinic time. The student should be reasonable and flexible with their expectations or the patient should be reassigned to a student who has clinic time available when the patient is available.
The student must establish authority regarding the College of Dentistry policies early in the relationship. Therefore, the student should be very familiar with the information in this manual and should be able to respond to questions regarding school policies. The student should tactfully dictate the frequency of appointments, determine treatment sequencing, and inform the patient when their actions may jeopardize their status in the program (frequent cancellations/no-shows, failure to pay account balance, etc.)
A patient referred to the College’s collection agency is automatically released even if you have not requested this action. You will not have access to any electronic record in collections without the permission of the Central Billing Office.
A patient may request reactivation if the reasons for the original release no longer apply. Reactivation of a patient referred to a collection agency will not be allowed. The Director of Patient Relations must approve all reactivation of released patients.
Infrequently, a patient may be notified through a letter of pending release regarding the nature of one of the above-listed problems that may be the cause for release if the circumstance does not change. Patients are given 2 weeks (10 business days) to appeal the release, if no response is received, the patient is processed for the final release.
