Medical Practice Requirements

The American Medical Association (AMA) created a list of medical practice requirements. These requirements pertain to common office issues, such as patient billing, contract negotiating, payment collecting and submitting claims to insurance companies. This list of requirements dictates what health care professionals and medical billing staff should do in these situations.

Chaperone Requirements

• Physicians and patients have the right to have a chaperone during breast and pelvic examinations or during genital and rectal examinations. The physician must provide a chaperone if he wants one or if his patient wants one. If a chaperone isn't available, then the physician must decline the examination. The chaperone requirements of the patient or physician must be in writing. If the patient doesn't approve of the chaperone, then the physician shouldn't provide care until he finds an appropriate chaperone. If the patient is not comfortable with the physician's right to have a chaperone, then the physician can either refuse the examination or explain the risks of not receiving the examination. The chaperone requirements protect both the physician and the patient from false claims of inappropriate conduct.

Doctor-Patient Relationship Requirements

• The physician can break the doctor-patient relationship if the patient refuses care or medical advice or if the patient is abusive to the physician or his staff. The physician must give notice to the patient about any decision to break the relationship and must help the patient in finding another physician. This includes notifying the patient in writing when care will end, providing emergency services to the patient until terminated and assisting the patient in finding another physician including making referrals. It is illegal for the physician to break the doctor-patient relationship due to discrimination.

Medical Record Requirements

• Physicians may charge a fee for copies of medical records. However, it is illegal for them to sell patients' medical records to others or to make a profit off of them. There are limits on the fees physicians can set for medical records. Physicians cannot charge more than $1 per copy or $100 for a medical record. If the medical record is 10 pages or less, then the physician can charge $10 to cover postage and incidental expenses. Physicians must have patients provide the request for medical records in writing and provide them within 30 days of the request. Physicians must not charge for copies of medical records when terminating a doctor-patient relationship or when the physician leaves the practice. They also cannot refuse the request for the copy of a medical record due to an unpaid balance.