Paetsch v. Spokane Dermatology Clinic, PS

¶1 The plaintiff in this medical malpractice case asks us to decide that a physician-patient relationship is formed when a patient enters into a written contract with a clinic and that written contract names a specific physician as the patient’s doctor. We do not reach this issue because the jury instructions allowed the plaintiff to argue her theory of the case and the jury found that the defendant was not negligent.

¶2 Several novel issues lurk in the question brought by the plaintiff, including questions about the liability of a physician for actions undertaken by a certified physician’s *845ass…