DONALD N. APPLEBAUM, M.D., PETITIONER,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, RESPONDENT

Fla. 3d DCA | 1998-09-23
No. 98-2018
Before NESBITT, JORGENSON and SORONDO, JJ.
718 So. 2d 908 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (1998)

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Synopsis

Dr. Applebaum challenged an emergency restriction on his medical license issued by the Florida Department of Health. The court affirmed the restriction on his practice in state-licensed health care facilities (including nursing homes) but modified it to exclude hospitals, allowing him to maintain a private practice in hospital settings.


Holding

The court affirmed the restriction on Dr. Applebaum's practice in state-licensed health care facilities but modified the order to exclude hospitals, thereby permitting him to continue admitting and treating private patients in hospitals and practicing medicine in office settings.


Headnotes

[1] An emergency order restricting a physician's license is supported when the physician's continued unrestricted practice constitutes an immediate danger to the public.

[2] A restriction on practicing medicine in or serving as Medical Director for any health care facility licensed by the State of Florida does not necessarily include private…

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Key Quotes

“Dr. Applebaum's continued unrestricted practice of medicine, specifically in the role of medical director or administrator in the nursing home setting, constituted an immediate danger to the health, safety and welfare of the public.”

Establishes the factual basis for the Department's restriction on nursing home practice

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Facts & Procedural History

The Florida Department of Health issued an Emergency Order restricting Dr. Applebaum's license to practice medicine, prohibiting him from practicing i…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

Dr. Donald Applebaum, M.D., petitions this Court to review an Order of Emergency Restriction of the State of Florida Department of Health and the Agency for Health Care Administration restricting Dr. Appleb-aum’s license to practice as a physician. The Department’s restriction that Dr. Applebaum shall not practice medicine in or serve as Medical Director, or any other administrative capacity, for any health care facility licensed by the State of Florida is supported by the findings in the Emergency Order that show that Dr. Applebaum’s continued unrestricted practice of medicine, specifically in the role of medical director or administrator in the nursing home setting, constituted an immediate danger to the health, safety and welfare of the public.

However, the Department’s construction of this restriction to include the private practice of medicine in hospitals in the category of “health care facility licensed by the State of Florida” is not supported by the findings of fact in the Emergency Order.

Therefore, we affirm the Emergency Order’s restriction of Dr. Applebaum’s license from practicing medicine in or serving as Medical Director, or any other administrative capacity, for any health care facility licensed by the State of Florida, including Jackson Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

However, we limit that restriction and exclude hospitals from the category of “health care facilities licensed by the State of Florida,” insofar as the Emergency Order is concerned. As such, Dr. Applebaum is not restricted from admitting and treating private patients in hospitals, or from practicing medicine in an office setting.

The Petition for Review is granted, and the Emergency Order is affirmed in part and modified in part.


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