Does Phone Consult Establish Patient-Physician Relationship?

Lisa Schmitz Mazur warned that “it is risky to assume that any consultation — even a phone consultation between two providers — is ‘informal’ and will not create a physician-patient relationship.” The standard for what constitutes a physician-patient relationship is “constantly evolving,” Ms. Mazur noted, especially given how “new connected health technologies” change the “manner and modes” of patient and provider communication.