Martinez-Ferrate v. Department of Commerce, Division of Occupational & Professional Licensing

2016 UT App 176, 379 P.3d 923, 819 Utah Adv. Rep. 33, 2016 Utah App. LEXIS 179, 2016 WL 4410728
CourtCourt of Appeals of Utah
DecidedAugust 18, 2016
Docket20150062-CA
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2016 UT App 176 (Martinez-Ferrate v. Department of Commerce, Division of Occupational & Professional Licensing) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Martinez-Ferrate v. Department of Commerce, Division of Occupational & Professional Licensing, 2016 UT App 176, 379 P.3d 923, 819 Utah Adv. Rep. 33, 2016 Utah App. LEXIS 179, 2016 WL 4410728 (Utah Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

*925 Opinion

CHRISTIANSEN, Judge:

{1 Dr. Rodolfo Martinez-Ferrate challenges the findings of fact, conclusions of law, and order entered by the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) as amended and adopted by the Utah Department of Commerce (the Amended Order). The Amended Order issued a sapction of probation against Dr. Ferrate's 2 licenses to practice as a physician and surgeon and to administer and prescribe controlled substances. 3 We do not disturb the Amended Order.

BACKGROUND

12 The Utah Physicians Licensing Board (the Board), under the auspices of DOPL, entered findings of fact that were amended and adopted by the Department of Commerce (the Department). We recite the facts as adopted.

13 Dr. Ferrate operated a small, independent family practice with an emphasis on treating sleep disorders. On occasion, Dr. Ferrate used infrared therapy to promote cell regeneration and encourage overall healing. Dr. Ferrate administered this therapy using an infrared device he had received from an acquaintance. The device was not tested or approved by any regulatory agency or industry body for use or sale within the United States; however, the record is insufficient to establish whether any regulations required such testing and approval.

T4 Dr. Ferrate allowed Cory Bradshaw access to his clinic and to his patients, Bradshaw was not employed by Dr. Ferrate, possessed no relevant licenses, and had received no formal medical training in nutrition. Despite being aware of these shortcomings, Dr. Ferrate considered Bradshaw a nutrition expert and introduced her to his patients as such, Dr. Ferrate understood and endorsed Bradshaw's approach to natural healing, which generally advocated a diet of raw food, fermented food, and so-called "live food." Dr. Ferrate allowed Bradshaw to access his electronic record-keeping system and to enter notes into patient charts; there was no way to clearly distinguish her notes from his. Bradshaw had some general experience with infrared devices but had not received any training from Dr. Ferrate relating to the infrared device used in his clinic.

15 On June 22, 2012, Patient Doe visited Dr. Ferrate for an initial consultation regarding neuropathy of her feet. Dr. Ferrate did not yet have Patient Doe's medical records and did not conduct an examination to determine the nature and extent of the neu-ropathy. At the consultation, Dr.; Ferrate discussed using infrared therapy to treat Patient Doe's neuropathy.

16 On June 26, 2012, Patient Doe returned to the clinic to begin infrared therapy on her feet. While Bradshaw was in the room, Dr. Ferrate discussed using the infrared device over Patient Doe's abdomen to target her liver area for general health. Patient Doe understood that the device would be used to target her liver. Dr. Ferrate positioned the infrared device over Patient Doe's feet and then left the room, leaving Patient Doe with Bradshaw. -

. T7 Bradshaw then repositioned the infrared device over Patient Doe's abdomen. Although the device was not designed to be used through clothing, Bradshaw did not ask or instruct Patient Doe to remove her clothing. Bradshaw activated the device, causing Patient Doe to express her discomfort. Patient Doe did not ask to see Dr, Ferrate or to pause the treatment. When Dr. Ferrate returned to the room, he stopped the treatment, Patient Doe then left the clinic.

T8 Later that day, Patient Doe called the clinic to inform Dr. Ferrate that her abdomen appeared to have been burned. Dr. Fer-rate asked her to return to the clinic, where *926 he prescribed silver sulfadiazine to treat the burns. Patient Doe was eventually treated by a different physician for what turned out to be second-degree burns to her abdomen, and now has residual scarring.

T9 The clinic's notes regarding this incident included an entry by Bradshaw, claiming that she asked Patient Doe to remove clothing from her abdominal area and that Patient Doe refused. The Board determined that this statement was false. The notes also included an entry by Dr. Ferrate stating that he had explained to Patient Doe the risk of the infrared device generating heat. The Board determined that this statement was also false. Finally, Dr. Ferrate also entered a note that "[nlutrition staff decided to initiate treatment in abd[ominal] area on her own with clothing not following our clinic protocol."

10 Dr. Ferrate acknowledged lability for Patient Doe's injury and financially compensated her for it, He has stopped using the infrared device and no longer allows Bradshaw to assist him with patient counseling or treatment. '

111 The Utah Physicians Licensing Board convened to review this incident and to determine what action to take. The Board noted that, under Utah Administrative Code R156-67-102(2), an "alternate medical practice" is one that is not generally recognized as standard in the practice of medicine. The Board further noted that a physician may employ alternate medical practices so long as (1) the alternate medical practices 'are not shown by generally accepted medical evi-denee to present a greater risk to the patient than the standard treatments and (2) current generally accepted documentation demonstrates that the alternate medical practice has a reasonable potential to be of benefit.

12 The Board found that the "use of infrared therapy to treat neuropathy of the feet constitutes alternate medical practice because it is not generally recognized as the standard of treatment." Because "heat therapies should not pose any meaningful risk to the health, safety, or welfare of a patient," "infrared therapy, when used properly and carefully, is an acceptable alternate medical practice for treating neuropathy." However, the "use of infrared therapy to promote overall general health by exposure to a large area of the body," such as "the abdominal area over or near the liver," "does not qualify as an acceptable alternate medical practice for the promotion of general good health." The Board explained, "Where [Dr. Ferrate] has not specified a clear treatment objective for his use of infrared therapy over an area that is not affected by injury or disease, it is difficult for the Board to specify the standard of treatment that would apply. However, overall good health is generally promoted through diet and exercise. [Dr. Ferrate] has provided no literature to establish that infrared therapy replaces or complements a healthy lifestyle, and the Board is aware of none."

13 The Board concluded that Dr. Fer-rate's use of infrared therapy for the promotion of general health violated Utah Administrative Code R156-67-502(14), which prohibits the use of an alternate medical practice absent generally accepted documentation establishing that the practice has a reasonable potential to be of. benefit,. and therefore that it amounted to unprofessional conduct pursuant to Utah Code section 58-1-501(2)(a). 4 The Board also concluded that Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
2016 UT App 176, 379 P.3d 923, 819 Utah Adv. Rep. 33, 2016 Utah App. LEXIS 179, 2016 WL 4410728, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martinez-ferrate-v-department-of-commerce-division-of-occupational-utahctapp-2016.