LEWIS FAGAN, M.D., APPELLANT,
v.
DEPARTMENT OF PROFESSIONAL REGULATION, APPELLEE
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Dr. Fagan appealed a trial court's judgment requiring him to comply with a Department of Professional Regulation subpoena for patient records. The Florida District Court of Appeal affirmed, holding that the subpoena was validly issued with sufficient reasonable cause and did not violate patient privacy rights.
The court held that the subpoena was validly issued based on sufficient reasonable cause, that the appellant failed to properly preserve the cross-examination issue for appeal, and that the subpoena was neither overbroad nor violated patient privacy rights because section 455.241(2) expressly permits subpoena of patient records without written authorization and the appellant lacked standing to assert patients' privacy rights.
[1] A determination of sufficient reasonable cause exists to justify a subpoena when the Department provides documentation showing grounds such as revocation of staff privile…
[2] A statute requiring findings of fact and conclusions of law applies only to final orders, not to preliminary administrative actions.
Previewing 2 of 6 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“The Application for Patient Record Subpoena substantiated the determination by DPR and the probable cause panel. It provided sufficient reasonable cause for issuing the subpoena.”
Establishes the standard for valid subpoena issuance and that reasonable cause was satisfied here.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceThe Department of Professional Regulation issued a subpoena pursuant to section 455.223, Florida Statutes, requiring Dr. Fagan to produce patient reco…
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BASKIN, Judge.
We deny the motion for rehearing, but substitute the following for the opinion released September 13, 1988.
Appellant Lewis Fagan, M.D., seeks reversal of a final judgment directing appellant to comply with a Department of Professional Regulation [DPR] subpoena issued pursuant to section 455.223, Florida Statutes (1985), requiring him to produce patient records. See § 455.241(2), Fla.Stat. (1985). We affirm.
Appellant contends that the subpoena is invalid because the DPR did not first make a reasonable cause determination.1 This contention is without merit. The Application for Patient Record Subpoena substantiated the determination by DPR and the probable cause panel. It provided sufficient reasonable cause for issuing the subpoena. The document showed that the grounds included a peer group review of the doctor’s cases by the Metropolitan Atlanta Foundation for Medical Care, Inc. That group concluded that the patients’ histories and physical examinations did not support the doctor’s pattern of excessive surgery. In addition, the DPR consultant found “many strange, perhaps unbelievable questions and coincidences” concerning his conduct. We therefore find that the record establishes a sufficient basis for the subpoena. See Kibler v. Department of Professional Regulation, 418 So. 2d 1081 (Fla. 4th DCA 1982).
Appellant asserts that he was entitled to conduct cross-examination “when testimony is taken or documents are made part of the record.” § 120.58(l)(f), Fla. Stat. (1985). DPR responds that appellant participated in taking a deposition of George Swerdloff, program director of the peer review group. According to the order granting summary judgment, the trial court considered the deposition before approving the subpoena. Appellant, however, has not included the deposition in the record on appeal. Thus, this court is unable to consider the issue. See Applegate v. Barnett Bank, 377 So. 2d 1150 (Fla.1979); NCNB Nat’l Bank of Florida v. Vissering, 526 So. 2d 759 (Fla. 2d DCA 1988) (where appellate court does not have benefit of appendix showing evidence relied on by trial court, appellate court lacks basis to determine error).
Finally, appellant contends that the subpoena is overbroad and violated the patients’ rights to privacy by requiring production of records without patient authorizations. We disagree. First, appellant has not shown that the subpoena for health records of twelve patients is unreasonable or overly burdensome. Nach v. Department of Professional Regulation, Board of Medical Examiners, 528 So. 2d 908 (Fla. 2d DCA 1988). Second, section 455.241(2), Florida Statutes (1985), expressly provides for subpoena of patient records without written patient authorization. See Nach. Furthermore, the patient authorization requirement, which was eliminated pursuant to section 455.241(2), effective October 1, 1985, was intended to protect the patient, not the doctor. Thus, appellant does not have standing to assert that records prepared prior to the statute’s effective date require patient authorization. Nach.
AFFIRMED.
. Appellant also argues that the subpoena is invalid because it is not supported by affidavit. Because appellant did not raise this issue in the trial court, thereby failing to preserve the issue for review, we decline to consider it.
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Transcall Am., Inc. v. Butterworth, 604 So. 2d 1253 (Fla. 1st DCA 1992)…case law on the jurisdictional question. While orders of this nature have been reviewed by certiorari, there are also instances of appellate review. Barry v. Garcia, 573 So. 2d 932 (Fla. 3d DCA 1991); Fagan v. Department of Professional Regulation, 534 So. 2d 802 (Fla. 3d DCA 1988); Calderbank v. Cazares, 435 So. 2d 377 (Fla. 5th DCA 1983). The Calderbank court in particular raised the possibility that an order on a motion to compel may be reviewed either by appeal or certiorari. Id. at 378 n. 1. While we ag…
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Martinez v. The HERTZ Corp., 696 So. 2d 1212 (Fla. 3d DCA 1997)…ause. We find no error in the other issues urged for reversal. See § 59.041, Fla.Stat. (1995); Ed Ricke & Sons, Inc. v. Green, 468 So. 2d 908 (Fla.1985); Huss v. Sanabria, 672 So. 2d 903 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996); Fagan v. Department of Prof'l Regulation, 534 So. 2d 802 (Fla. 3d DCA 1988); Honda Motor Co., Ltd. v. Marcus, 440 So. 2d 373 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983); Metropolitan Dade County v. Dillon, 305 So. 2d 36 (Fla. 3d DCA 1975). Affirmed.…
Authorities Cited
- Pitcher v. Schneider (Fla. 5th DCA 2018)
- Albert v. Applegate et ux., 377 So. 2d 1150 (Fla. 1979)
- Kibler v. Dep't of Prof'l Reg., 418 So. 2d 1081 (Fla. 4th DCA 1982)
- Charles David Nach, M.D. v. Dep't of Prof'l Reg., 528 So. 2d 908 (Fla. 2d DCA 1988)
- NCNB Nat'l Bank OF Fla. v. Vissering, 526 So. 2d 759 (Fla. 2d DCA 1988)