“Give me a refund or I will post negative reviews about your practice.” A growing number of practitioners are facing extortionary behavior from malcontented patients who try to take advantage of their fear of conflict and people-pleasing tendencies, says healthcare attorney Ericka Adler. (Image: Nito/Shutterstock)
How should you respond if a patient tries to extort free
services, refunds, or special favors by threatening you with negative social
media, medical board complaints, or malpractice suits?
This is a growing problem that many practitioners are
experiencing but few are talking about, says Ericka Adler, a healthcare attorney with the Chicago-based law firm of Roetzel & Andress. It is time to end the silence.
When faced with this situation, most clinicians simply acquiesce and give the patients-turned-bullies what they want. Sometimes that’s the smart option, given the cost of a legal battle. But in some cases, it is right to fight, especially when your professional reputation or your license is at stake.
(This feature was originally published on June 16, 2025, on www.undark.org) The lab buildings of Long Island’s renowned Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have hosted researchers responsible for some of the most consequential scientific leaps in human genetics and disease. In the last 60 years, eight of the lab’s scientists have earned Nobel Prizes, including for […]
(This article was originally published on June 19, 2025 on www.undark.org) American science stands on the precipice. On one side is the administration of Donald Trump and MAGA political leaders threatening to push us over the cliff; on the other is the quick plunge to oblivion. This is no exaggeration. While ostensibly the administration’s actions […]
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Kara Siedman, RDN, CDCES, is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist with over 15 years of clinical experience in inpatient care, outpatient program development, and integrative/functional nutrition. She earned her degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and completed her dietetic internship at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Kara’s work in a leading gastroenterology practice sparked her transition into functional nutrition, where she integrated root-cause approaches into GI care. Her passion for the gut microbiome evolved into a professional specialty, leading her to collaborate with biotech and microbiome-focused companies like Pendulum, Microbiome Labs, and now resbiotic. As Director of Partnerships at resbiotic, Kara educates healthcare practitioners on microbiome science and the clinical application of targeted microbiome therapies. She brings clarity, credibility, and passion to gut health education.
