Home

Climate Change Project

Table of Contents

Courses

Search


<< >> Up Title Contents

Patient Choice

Most practitioners are aware of the patient's right to choose a physician for consultation. In the outpatient setting, the patient is unlikely to go to another physician if he or she does not want the consultation. A hospital patient has this same right to choose whether another physician will be consulted. When a consultation is considered, the patient should be informed and given the opportunity to refuse the consultation or the consultant proposed.

When a patient refuses a necessary consultation, the physician should first determine whether the refusal is based on financial concerns. If the patient's insurer will not pay for consultation, the physician has a duty to try to persuade the insurer that the care is necessary. If this fails, the physician should try to persuade the consultant to waive or reduce the fee. If the patient's refusal is not based on financial concerns, the physician should carefully explain (and document) the necessity of the consultation. The problem then becomes the general problem of a patient who refuses necessary care. While the physician should try to continue treating the patient, this may be impossible; the physician may be forced to terminate the physician-patient relationship. (See Chapter 9.)


<< >> Up Title Contents

Law and the Physician Homepage
Copyright 1993 - NOT UPDATED

The Climate Change and Public Health Law Site
The Best on the WWW Since 1995!
Copyright as to non-public domain materials
See DR-KATE.COM for home hurricane and disaster preparation
See WWW.EPR-ART.COM for photography of southern Louisiana and Hurricane Katrina
Professor Edward P. Richards, III, JD, MPH - Webmaster

Provide Website Feedback - https://www.lsu.edu/feedback
Privacy Statement - https://www.lsu.edu/privacy
Accessibility Statement - https://www.lsu.edu/accessibility