“Vetting” Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals

by Ann L. McNary, JD Ms. McNary is a Senior Risk Manager at PRMS, Inc. Innov Clin Neurosci. 2017;15(1–2):49–51 This ongoing column is dedicated to providing information to our readers on managing legal risks associated with medical practice. We invite questions from our readers. The answers are provided by PRMS, Inc. (www.prms.com), a manager of medical professional liability insurance programs with services that include risk management consultation, education and onsite risk management audits, and other resources to healthcare providers to help improve patient outcomes and reduce professional liability risk. The answers published in this column represent those of only one risk management consulting company. Other risk management consulting companies or insurance carriers may provide different advice, and readers should take this into consideration. The information in this column does not constitute legal advice. For legal advice, contact your personal attorney. Note: The information and recommendations in this article are applicable to physicians and other healthcare professionals so “clinician” is used to indicate all treatment team members. QUESTIONS Question 1. A patient of mine recently arrived for an appointment with a mangy, smelly dog in tow. She claimed that the dog was a service animal, so I allowed it to stay. Afterward, other patients and staff complained about the dog. Can I refuse to allow the animal back into the office in the future? Question 2. A pa...
Source: Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Current Issue Practice Management Risk Management emotional support animal service animal Source Type: research