Is It legal for a Doctor to refuse to accept a patient for second opinion
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Is It legal for a Doctor to refuse to accept a patient for second opinion
My neurologist told me I needed a second opinion and the only other neurologist
in our area refused to do the second opinion. I am not very clear on the law
around second opinions, but I do know that I have the right to a 2nd opinion. I
live in Mississippi, so I wouldn’t be surprised to find out there is nothing I
can do.
Asked on February 9, 2017 under Malpractice Law, Mississippi
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
Yes, a doctor may refuse to examine you for or give you a second opinion: you may have a right to seek one, but that does not require any particular or individual doctor to see you. You need to find a doctor who will willingly do this; doctors are allowed to decide who to see, and who not to see, as patients. If this other doctor wants to not see you as a professional courtesy to the 1st doctor, to avoid conflict, because they only see their established patients, etc., that is their right.
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