Closing Your Practice

When you decide to retire, change practice locations, or close your practice, ensuring as smooth a transition as possible is important for your patients' continued care and your mental well-being. Learn about the steps you need to take to close your practice below.

• Patients must be notified when:
  • There is a new physician taking over your practice.
  • You are joining/forming/leaving a group practice.
  • You are retiring or closing the practice without a replacement.
• It’s important to notify active patients and patients requiring ongoing care.
• A Patient panel assessment can assist with determining which patients are considered active, and should therefore be notified of your plans at least three months in advance. For information on how to receive in-practice EMR support and compensation, contact the Practice Support Program (PSP). More information can be found on the Family Physician Services Committee (FPSC’s) Panel Management program website.
• The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC (CPSBC) outlines notification requirements and documentation efforts in the Leaving practice standard.

Notifications can include:

• A letter or email including departure date, replacement physician (if applicable), and information on how to access medical records.
  • Departure announcement: new physician takeover (click to download template)
  • Departure announcement: no new physician to takeover (click to download template)
  • Departure announcement: searching for replacement physician (click to download template)
• A printed notice in the waiting area
  • Departure notice: printable office poster
• A notice on the website and/or community newspaper
  • Departure notice: professional association

• Notify the College of the location and accessibility options for all medical records.
• Inform your patients of the location of their medical records and how they can access them (see above).
• Ownership of medical records does not end when leaving a practice, and the obligations of security, confidentiality, accessibility, and retention still apply; however, ownership can be delegated through a mutual written, signed agreement.
• Plan for the maintenance and retention of medical records in the event of an unanticipated departure. Ensure medical record storage and retention are included in your estate planning.
• Medical records must be stored in a safe, secure place for at least 16 years from the date of the last entry. Records for minors must be kept for at least 16 years from the age of majority (19 years of age).
• After the retention period has ended, records should be confidentially destroyed.
• The transfer of medical records can be made to:
  • Another physician with the consent of the patient
  • A storage facility remaining in the custody of the original physician
• MedRecords offers digitization, storage, and legal destruction of medical records.
• For more details on medical record management, see the CPSBC Medical records management practice standard.

• Get step-by-step financial planning assistance from MD Financial Management using the Your guide to retirement planning guide.