Recent national tragedies have refocused the nation on an important question:

Can or should a physician face civil liability for failing to warn of the dangers posed by a patient who later commits violence?

Husch Blackwell attorneys Greg Minana and Justin Stephens addressed this question under Missouri law in an article published in the May/June issue of Missouri Medicine.   In the article, they analyze the balance between doctor-patient confidentiality and the need to disclose confidential patient information when a patient signals that he or she might present a risk of violence toward himself or others.  They also look at when the duty arises and how it is discharged.

To read the article, click here.