Wisconsin Administrative Code
Medical Examining Board
Chapter Med 18 - Informed Consent
Section Med 18.04 - Exceptions to communication of alternate modes of treatment
Current through August 26, 2024
(1) A physician is not required to explain each procedural or prescriptive alternative inherent to a particular mode of treatment.
(2) In an emergency, a physician is not required to communicate alternate modes of treatment to a patient if failure to provide immediate treatment would be more harmful to a patient than immediate treatment.
(3) A physician is not required to communicate any mode of treatment which is not a reasonable alternate mode of treatment or which is experimental.
(4) A physician may not be held responsible for failure to inform a patient of a possible complication or benefit not generally known to reasonably well-qualified physicians in a similar medical classification.
(5) A physician may simplify or omit communication of reasonable alternate modes of treatment if the communication would unduly confuse or frighten a patient or if a patient refuses to receive the communication.
(6) A physician is not required to communicate information about alternate medical modes of treatment for any condition the physician has not included in his or her diagnosis at the time the physician informs the patient.
