Discharge Against Medical Advice

Join SMJ Editor-in-Chief Dr. Steven Baldwin as he discusses discharge against medical advice with Dr. Guruaj Kolar. Dr. Kolar and Dr. Eric Valder authored a letter to the editor in the October 2020 issue of the SMJ that addresses this topic. During this podcast, Dr. Kolar provides details of discharge against medical advice status that commonly may be misunderstood or underappreciated by patients and clinicians, as well as discusses that patients leaving AMA may have increased risk for morbidity or mortality. He also shares insight regarding the myths and reality of the belief that being discharged against medical advice will result in denial of payment by health insurers.