Doctors Have No Duty to Inform Patients of Misdiagnosis Risks, Virginia Appeals Court Holds

In a case of first impression, a Virginia Court of Appeals panel determined that a physician has no duty to inform a patient of the risk of misdiagnosis or offer treatment options for alternative diagnoses.

The Circuit Court of Arlington County previously erred when it allowed Romana Bowman to proceed on an informed consent claim after her doctor failed to inform her of alternative treatments that could have been appropriate had he reached a different diagnosis, the panel said.