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The Liability Of Health Care Providers To Third Parties Injured By A Patient, Samuel D. Hodge Jr.

Pace Law Review

Duty of care is a critical component of any negligence claim necessary to establish liability. It is well recognized at common law that a physician owes a duty to advise a patient but is not mandated to take affirmative measures outside the physician-patient relationship to protect a third-party. Health care providers may also be responsible for oversight, or the failure to safeguard a patient, due to a special relationship they undertake, such as failing to properly diagnose or recommend an appropriate treatment plan. Recently, the courts have struggled over whether public policy and fairness require the expansion of the law …