A provider leaves town without leaving a contact number and coverage for patients he is treating. He is at risk for being accused of?

The situation described involves a provider leaving town without a contact number or coverage for their patients, which puts their patients in a vulnerable position. In this context, abandonment is the appropriate term. Medical abandonment occurs when a healthcare provider leaves a patient without proper notice or without ensuring that the patient has alternative care available.

Abandonment reflects an obligation on the part of the provider to continue care for their patient until that care can be appropriately transferred or until the patient no longer needs care. When a provider fails to facilitate this and essentially “abandons” their patients, especially in a way that could negatively impact the patients' health or well-being, it can lead to legal repercussions.

The other terms, while related to legal and ethical obligations in healthcare, do not accurately describe this specific situation. Neglect typically refers to a failure to provide necessary care that leads to harm, misdemeanors and felonies entail criminal acts that are unrelated to the abandonment of patient care. Therefore, in this instance, abandonment is the most fitting answer as it directly addresses the severe lapse in duty of care exhibited by the provider.