- (a) The health and safety of patients shall be the first consideration of the podiatric physician. The principal objective to the podiatric profession is to render service to humanity. A podiatric physician shall continually strive to improve his medical knowledge and skill for the benefit of his patients and colleagues. The podiatric physician shall administer to patients in a professional manner and to the best of his ability. Secrets and personal information entrusted to him shall be held inviolate unless disclosure is necessary to protect the welfare of the individual or the community. A podiatric physician shall be temperate in all things in recognition that his knowledge and skill are essential to public health, welfare, and human life.
- (b) A licensed podiatric physician shall conduct his practice on the highest plane of honesty, integrity, and fair dealing and shall not mislead his patients as to the gravity of such patient's podiatric medical needs. A podiatric physician shall not abandon a patient he has undertaken to treat. He may discontinue treatment after reasonable notice has been given to the patient by the podiatric physician of his intention to discontinue treatment and the patient has had a reasonable time to secure the services of another podiatric physician or all podiatric medical services actually begun have been completed and there is no contract or agreement to provide further treatment.
Source Note:The provisions of this §130.31 adopted to be effective July 5, 2006, 31 TexReg 5289; transferred effective September 1, 2017, as published in the Texas Register August 18, 2017, 42 TexReg 4145.