It has happened to many of us at least once in our lives: we walk into our physician’s office for our annual checkup or some other type of medical problem, and learn some very unpleasant news. Our favorite doctor is retiring, and we will have to find a new one in the coming weeks to replace him or her. If you have been a patient with your existing physician for a long period of time, this news can be quite stressful to hear. Many patients naturally develop a rapport with their doctors over time, and often never stop to consider the possibility of that person ever retiring, even if he or she is approaching a typical retirement age.

Questions to Ask Your Retiring Doctor

While you may be disappointed, upset, or even angry that your doctor has made the decision to retire from practice, it is important to remain calm and focused. Having a discussion with your doctor about your care, his or her projected timeline for retirement, and transferring your medical records from the office to your new physician’s location is an important first step toward ensuring that there will be little to no interruption in your medical care. Here is a list of suggested questions you can ask your doctor, or a member of the office staff, upon learning about his or her retirement plans:

• When are you retiring? Have you chosen an exact date?
• Is another doctor replacing you at this practice?
• Can you make any recommendations for a replacement physician for me, based on my medical history and location?
• How will my new doctor obtain a copy of my medical records?
• Is there anything I should do between now and when I have my first appointment with my new doctor?
• Given your retirement timeline, do you have any recommendations for my current medication usage?
• How else can I help ensure continuity of my care from this practice to the next?

Medical Records Transfer

One of the single most important things you can do to ensure proper continuity of care involves your medical records. You may want to suggest referring your doctor to a company that specializes in medical record storage and retrieval to make record transfers easier and faster for not only you, but for all patients under your doctor’s care. These companies can also serve as a type of liaison between you, your doctor, and any specialty physicians or hospitals that you may have visited while under your retiring doctor’s care, ensuring that no records are left behind anywhere. In some cases, they may even be able to assist you with researching new practices. Finally, these companies zealously protect patient privacy and doctor/patient confidentiality, so you do not have to worry about sensitive medical data getting into the wrong hands.