When does duty begin for an outpatient new patient?

When does duty begin for an outpatient new patient?

• A. When scheduling the appointment.
• B. When evaluation or treatment actually occurs.
• C. When consent is signed.
• D. When the patient completes forms.

Answer: (B)

Duty begins when a physician-patient relationship is formed, which in outpatient care happens at the moment the clinician actually evaluates or treats the patient. Until that encounter occurs, there is no professional obligation to provide medical care. Scheduling an appointment, completing forms, or signing consent are administrative steps and do not by themselves create the duty. Consent concerns a treatment plan within an established relationship, but signing forms alone does not establish the physician’s duty to the patient. This distinction matters because the standard of care applies once care begins in the encounter, not merely during the administrative process.

Duty begins when a physician-patient relationship is formed, which in outpatient care happens at the moment the clinician actually evaluates or treats the patient. Until that encounter occurs, there is no professional obligation to provide medical care. Scheduling an appointment, completing forms, or signing consent are administrative steps and do not by themselves create the duty. Consent concerns a treatment plan within an established relationship, but signing forms alone does not establish the physician’s duty to the patient. This distinction matters because the standard of care applies once care begins in the encounter, not merely during the administrative process.