It is not uncommon for family practice physicians to refer patients to specialists. When that occurs, is the family practice physician or internist who continues to follow the patient relieved of responsibility as a result of the referral?
It has been held that “under normal circumstances a referring physician’s duty to a patient is extinguished once another physician exercises independent medical judgment as to the patient’s medical care in performing a surgical procedure,” as in Billebault v. Dibattiste, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7399, *15-16 (E.D. Pa. May 19, 1998), citing Strain v. Ferroni, 405 Pa. Super. 349, 592 A.2d 698 (Pa. Super. 1991) (holding that a physician was not liable for acts of the covering physician exercising independent medical judgment); and in Hannis v. Ashland State General Hospital, 123 Pa. Commw. 390, 554 A.2d 574, 578 (Pa. Super. 1987) (holding that a physician had no duty to follow the care of a patient after referring the patient to a specialist).
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