Dorman v. State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts

62 S.W.3d 446, 2001 WL 1180692
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 9, 2001
DocketWD 58840
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 62 S.W.3d 446 (Dorman v. State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dorman v. State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts, 62 S.W.3d 446, 2001 WL 1180692 (Mo. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

PATRICIA BRECKENRIDGE, Judge.

The State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts (Board) revoked the medical license of Lawrence E. Dorman, D.O., after the Administrative Hearing Commission (Commission) found that Dr. Dorman’s medical license was subject to disciplinary action for violation of §§ 334.100.2(4) and (5), and 334.100.2(4)(e), RSMo 2000. 1 The circuit court subsequently denied Dr. Dorman’s petition for review, and affirmed the decisions of the Commission and the Board. Dr. Dorman appeals, claiming that the Commission’s decision is not supported by substantial evidence because the Commission erroneously relied on hearsay evidence, and the decision involves an abuse of discretion because it is against the overwhelming weight of the evidence. Because this court finds that the Commission properly considered the hearsay evidence in making its decision, and the decision is not against the weight of the evidence, the judgment of the circuit court affirming the decisions of the Commission and the Board is affirmed.

Factual and Procedural Background

In reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence to support the Commission’s decision, this court views the evidence and any inferences therefrom in the light most favorable to the Commission’s decision. Larocca v. State Bd. of Registration for Healing Arts, 897 S.W.2d 37, 39 (Mo.App.1995). 2 The Commission’s determination that Dr. Dorman’s license is subject to discipline is based upon his treatment of one of his patients, E.F.S. In December 1988, E.F.S., who was 54 years old, sought treatment from Dr. Dorman. At that time, Dr. Dorman was a licensed osteopathic physician and surgeon who practiced primarily in the area of family medicine.

At E.F.S.’s first appointment with Dr. Dorman on December 9th, he complained of a sharp pain in his back that was radiating to his hands. E.F.S. told Dr. Dorman that he had been helping to remodel his church. Dr. Dorman ordered a blood test, but he did not perform a complete physical examination of E.F.S. The blood test results showed that E.F.S. had a relatively high cholesterol level. At that time, Dr. Dorman was also aware that E.F.S.’s father died of a heart attack when he was in his fifties, and that E.F.S. had a history of smoking. Dr. Dorman did not perform any tests to determine if E.F.S.’s problems were heart-related. Dr. Dorman diagnosed E.F.S. with a musculoskeletal problem.

*449 Between December 13th and 18th, E.F.S. performed several physical tasks associated with the church remodeling, including lifting boxes, a heavy roll of carpeting, several boards, and piano dollies. On December 21st, E.F.S. woke up at 6:00 a.m. with a burning sensation in his chest, and a burning and stinging sensation in his back and arms. His chest was making a gurgling sound that his wife, B.R.S., was able to hear across the room. E.F.S. was in so much pain that he was crying.

E.F.S. and B.R.S. went to Dr. Dorman’s office between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. on December 21st and told Dr. Dorman about the symptoms E.F.S. had been having. Dr. Dorman checked E.F.S.’s blood pressure, which was significantly low. Dr. Dorman told B.R.S. that the low blood pressure was caused by the fact that E.F.S. was in a lot of pain, and that they should not worry about it. Dr. Dorman also performed an EKG on E.F.S., and told E.F.S. that the EKG “didn’t look too bad.” Dr. Dorman told E.F.S. and B.R.S. that the EKG showed that E.F.S. might have an aneurysm of the aorta, and if that was the case, there was no cure for it. Dr. Dorman told E.F.S. and B.R.S. that they needed to pray about it, because either the aneurysm would go away, or E.F.S. would die. Dr. Dorman gave E.F.S. a shot for the pain, put a hot pack on E.F.S.’s back, and gave him some samples of Isoptin. Isoptin is a calcium channel-blocking agent that is useful in preventing anginal episodes. The samples of Isoptin Dr. Dor-man gave E.F.S., however, were past their expiration date.

E.F.S.’s condition did not improve after he left Dr. Dorman’s office and, in fact, E.F.S. vomited repeatedly over the next 24 hours. E.F.S. made an appointment with his chiropractor, Dr. Wayne Bateman, for the afternoon of December 21st. Dr. Bateman performed an adjustment on E.F.S., and took x-rays of E.F.S.’s chest. Dr. Bateman told E.F.S. he did not like the way E.F.S.’s lungs looked on the x-ray, so Dr. Bateman took them to Dr. Ray Conley, a chiropractic radiologist, for evaluation. Dr. Conley noticed, among other things, that E.F.S.’s aortic knob was prominent, and he had aortic uncoiling. While these conditions can happen as a result of the aging process, they can also happen because of high blood pressure, atheros-clerotic disease, and other changes in the vascular system. Dr. Conley believed that the conditions were unusual for a person of E.F.S.’s age.

The next day, when E.F.S. went back to Dr. Bateman for another adjustment, Dr. Bateman told E.F.S. that he and Dr. Conley recommended that E.F.S. obtain better chest x-rays. Dr. Bateman made an appointment for E.F.S to obtain more x-rays from Dr. Conley on December 23rd. E.F.S. was unable to keep that appointment, however, because he was nauseous.

Instead, E.F.S. went to Dr. Dorman’s office on December 23rd and had Dr. Dor-man evaluate the x-rays Dr. Bateman had taken. Dr. Dorman told E.F.S. and B.R.S. that the x-rays looked “like a lot to do about nothing.” Dr. Dorman told them that E.F.S. did not need to obtain better chest x-rays. When B.R.S. told Dr. Dor-man than E.F.S. had not eaten anything since December 20th, Dr. Dorman told B.R.S. not to worry about it, and that E.F.S. would eat when he wanted to.

Dr. Dorman’s nurse then took E.F.S. into another room and began giving him intravenous hydrogen peroxide. While E.F.S. was receiving the hydrogen peroxide, B.R.S. asked Dr. Dorman about E.F.S. possibly having heart trouble. Dr. Dor-man again told her that E.F.S. might have an aneurysm in his aorta. B.R.S. then asked Dr. Dorman what type of solution he was giving E.F.S. Dr. Dorman told B.R.S. *450 that he was administering intravenous hydrogen peroxide, but that he was putting on his chart that he was administering intravenous vitamin C. Dr. Dorman explained that the reason he was writing vitamin C on the chart was because he had signed a statement with the Board in Jefferson City in which he agreed not to treat patients with intravenous hydrogen peroxide anymore. Dr. Dorman said that the Board was ill-informed, however, and that intravenous hydrogen peroxide was a wonderful treatment. Dr. Dorman told B.R.S. that he had administered intravenous hydrogen peroxide to a woman with shingles ten days prior, and she had improved rapidly. Dr. Dorman told B.R.S. that intravenous hydrogen peroxide was the best treatment for E.F.S. B.R.S. and E.F.S. decided to proceed with the intravenous hydrogen peroxide treatment because Dr. Dorman said it would be all right.

By the next day, December 24th, E.F.S.’s condition still had not improved. E.F.S. called Dr. Dorman at his home, and then met him at his office. Dr. Dorman gave E.F.S. a shot to help his lung capacity because E.F.S. was having trouble breathing. Dr.

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62 S.W.3d 446, 2001 WL 1180692, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dorman-v-state-board-of-registration-for-the-healing-arts-moctapp-2001.