Legal Question in Medical Malpractice in Wisconsin

Re: Doctors refusing treatment

I do not know the answer to your question. My hunch is that there is no rule that requires a doctor to care for a patient in the absence of a legal requirement to do so. For example, there is a federal law, EMTALA, that prohibits a person who goes to an emergency room from being discharged in an unstable condition. The hospital is required to provide care to such a patient. My understanding of that law is tht it requires the hospital, not the doctor, to provide care to the emergency room patient. That does not seem to be the case you have presented. It appears that your mother received care from the internist, although the oncologist who was consulted refused to participate in the care. I do not know of any law that requires the oncologist to participate in the care. Again, this is not something that I have run into in my practice so I am just giving you my general thoughts on the subject. I am sorry that I am unable to give you a more definitive answer to your question.