<section><h2>Quiz — Are there exceptions to the backdated referral ban?</h2><p><p><strong></strong><strong></strong></p><p><strong>You receive an electronic message from your receptionist. One of your regular patients has requested a backdated referral to a specialist. </strong><br /><br /><strong>You know the specialist by reputation, but he is not one to whom you would have sent this patient. </strong><br /><br /><strong>The patient had previously seen another specialist in the same field, and you suspect she decided to get a second opinion without discussing this with you.</strong><br /><br /><strong>You have no problems with any patient seeking a second opinion, but you are generally peeved by this and similar requests for backdated referrals and certificates. </strong><br /><br /><strong>You decide to go along with the patient’s request because:</strong><br /><strong></strong></p></p></section><section><h2>Incorrect</h2><p><p>Difficult patient or not, it is illegal and unethical to backdate any legal document.<br /><br />For medical certificates it is permissible to issue a certificate with say today’s date (the actual date of the consultation) and to state within the text that the patient states their symptoms have been present for x days and that this is consistent with the diagnosis.<br /><br />Presumably we can, similarly, write a letter of referral without backdating it, stating that the patient’s history is consistent with the need for the referral and that you support the referral.<br /><br />You could point out to your patient, the specialist and his receptionist that it is illegal to backdate referrals and that it was the receptionist’s responsibility to appropriately advise the patient about the need for the prerequisite referral, in a timely manner. Yes, it is tempting to break the rules to keep everyone happy and avoid confrontation, but we shouldn’t.<br /><br /><br /><em>Try again:</em></p></p></section><section><h3><h2>Correct</h2></h3><p><p>It is illegal to backdate any legal document. It’s a pain but we just have to work around it.</p></p></section><section><h3>Incorrect</h3><p><p>In fact, it is illegal to backdate any legal document. For medical certificates it is permissible to issue a certificate with say today’s date (the actual date of the consultation) and to state within the text that the patient states their symptoms have been present for x days and that this is consistent with the diagnosis.</p><p>Presumably we can, similarly, write a letter of referral without backdating it, stating that the patient’s history is consistent with the need for the referral and that you support the referral.</p><p>You could point out to your patient, the specialist and his receptionist that it is illegal to backdate referrals and that it was the receptionist’s responsibility to appropriately advise the patient about the need for the prerequisite referral, in a timely manner. Yes, it is tempting to break the rules to keep everyone happy and avoid confrontation, but we shouldn’t.</p><br /><em>Try again:</em></p></section><section><h2><h2>Quiz — Are there exceptions to the backdated referral ban?</h2></h2><p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>You receive an electronic message from your receptionist. One of your regular patients has requested a backdated referral to a specialist.<br /><br />You know the specialist by reputation, but he is not one to whom you would have sent this patient.<br /><br />The patient had previously seen another specialist in the same field, and you suspect she decided to get a second opinion without discussing this with you.<br /><br />You have no problems with any patient seeking a second opinion, but you are generally peeved by this and similar requests for backdated referrals and certificates.<br /><br />You decide to go along with the patient’s request because:<br /><br /><strong></strong></p></p></section>