Dealing with Entitled Patients

Dealing with Entitled Patients

From DPC Pediatricians Podcast by Marina Capella & Phil Boucher

June 7, 2026 · 19 min

About this episode

Phil and Marina discuss the challenges of dealing with entitled patients in a Direct Primary Care pediatric practice.

In this episode Phil and Marina discuss the challenge of dealing with entitled or difficult patients in a Direct Primary Care pediatric practice. Using recent real-world examples, they explore how unrealistic expectations, manipulative behavior, and misunderstandings can create emotional and operational strain for physicians. The conversation emphasizes the importance of maintaining clear communication, setting firm boundaries, trusting your instincts when interactions feel problematic, and recognizing that not every patient is the right fit for your practice. They also highlight the value of using difficult encounters as opportunities to refine processes and messaging while protecting both physician well-being and the culture of the practice. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dpcpediatricians.substack.com

People in this episode

Hosts: Phil, Marina

Topics covered

  • entitled patients
  • communication
  • boundaries
  • physician well-being
  • practice culture

Keywords

  • entitled patients
  • difficult patients
  • communication
  • boundaries
  • physician well-being

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