As SFM providers develop the patient population that is consistent with their desired practice model, SPM staff need to be aware of the following:

• Patients may be dismissed from the practice for any reason. As SFM becomes more focused on functional medicine, patients are being dismissed with greater frequency, including those patients who are non-compliant, disparage functional medicine/the practice or have multiple no-shows or late cancellations.
• Once patients are dismissed, they should not be allowed to schedule an appointment unless approved by the provider. Practices are required to continue care for 30 days for acute issues. For SFM, this generally means completing prescription refill requests.
• If patients ask about why they were dismissed, the standard answer is, “I can’t tell you–I don’t know. SFM providers may dismiss  a patient for any reason, including if the provider just doesn’t think the patient is a good fit for the practice.”