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Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026

Time: 12:15pm-1:15pm

Best Practices - Documenting Disruptive Patient Behavior

Purpose:
Disruptive patient encounters create undue stress on medical office staff and on physicians; threaten an environment of patient safety; and divert valuable resources away from patient care. Health care workers face increased anxiety, stress, personal and professional isolation, and diminishing coping strategies as they encounter patients who push the limits of appropriate behavior and comments on the phone or in the office. Health care professionals must evaluate disruptive and inappropriate patient behavior through a lens that includes evaluation of cultural issues, intrinsic bias, language and health literacy. Medical record documentation should also reflect the patient experience and behavior in the medical office. Documentation of patient inappropriate or disruptive behavior is required to defend health plan grievances and to successfully respond to patient complaints to the licensing boards. Documentation must support any patient dismissal. Physicians must prepare themselves and their medical office staff to work successfully with disruptive patients, appropriately document their behavior, and be mindful of cultural and other issues for patients, staff and visitors.

Objectives:
At the conclusion of this program, you will be able to:

• Recognize three characteristics of challenging and disruptive patients.
• Better understand the importance of documenting disruptive patient behavior on the phone and in the office.
• Develop documentation strategies that will reduce the risk of complaints and grievances to health plans and the Medical Board.
• Provide office staff with information about communicating effectively across patient cultures and identities including racial, ethnic, religious and gender.

This webinar is presented in partnership with The Doctors Company.