Parks v. State Medical Board, 08ap-68 (6-30-2008)

2008 Ohio 3304
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 30, 2008
DocketNo. 08AP-68.
StatusPublished

This text of 2008 Ohio 3304 (Parks v. State Medical Board, 08ap-68 (6-30-2008)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Parks v. State Medical Board, 08ap-68 (6-30-2008), 2008 Ohio 3304 (Ohio Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

OPINION
{¶ 1} In 2007, the Ohio State Medical Board ("board"), ordered a six-month suspension of Dr. Alan J. Parks' license to practice medicine for his alleged failure to conform to minimal standards of care concerning the treatment of three patients between 1995 and 2001. The chief witness against Dr. Parks in the administrative hearings was Dwight A. Scarborough, M.D., with whom Dr. Parks had previously worked while still a resident, and a physician who competes, to some extent, for the same patients with Dr. *Page 2 Parks. The medical board found, based largely on the testimony of Dr. Scarborough, that Dr. Parks failed to conform to the minimum standards of care. Dr. Parks appealed the medical board's decision to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, which upheld the order on December 28, 2007. Our review of the common pleas court's decision is limited to whether the court abused its discretion in finding that the medical board's order was supported by reliable, substantial, and probative evidence. Our review is limited, and does not permit us to independently re-weigh the record. Based on our limited review, we affirm the decision of the trial court.

{¶ 2} Dr. Parks assigns five errors for our review:

[I.] THE TRIAL COURT'S DECISION IS IN ERROR BECAUSE THE BOARD'S ORDER IS CONTRARY TO LAW AS TO THE FINDING THAT DR. PARKS FAILED TO OBTAIN INFORMED CONSENT AS TO ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR PATIENT 1.

[II] THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN AFFIRMING THE BOARD'S ORDER DESPITE BOARD'S BASIS OF ACTION BEING ON NEW ISSUES NOT RAISED IN ACCORDANCE WITH R.C. 119.

[III.]THE TRIAL COURT'S DECISION IS IN ERROR BECAUSE THE BOARD'S ORDER IS CONTRARY TO LAW AND NOT SUPPORTED BY SUBSTANTIAL, RELIABLE, AND PROBATIVE EVIDENCE AS IT WAS BASED UPON EXPERT TESTIMONY FROM AN EXPERT WITH AN UNAVOIDABLE AND PREJUDICIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

[IV.]THE TRIAL COURT'S DECISION IS IN ERROR BECAUSE THE BOARD'S ORDER IS CONTRARY TO LAW AND NOT SUPPORTED BY SUBSTANTIAL, RELIABLE, AND PROBATIVE EVIDENCE AS THE BOARD'S FINDINGS AT 1a AND 1c ARE UNSUPPORTED AS TO PATIENT 1.

[V.]THE TRIAL COURT'S DECISION IS IN ERROR BECAUSE THE BOARD'S ORDER IS CONTRARY TO LAW *Page 3 AS THE BOARD'S FINDINGS ARE UNSUPPORTED AND EXCEEDED THE SCOPE OF THE CHARGE OF THE CITE LETTER AS TO PATIENT 3.

{¶ 3} The Ohio Revised Code vests the medical board with broad authority to regulate the medical profession in this state, and to discipline any physician whose care constitutes: "A departure from, or the failure to conform to, minimal standards of care of similar practitioners under the same or similar circumstances, whether or not actual injury to a patient is established[.]" R.C. 4731.22(B)(6).

{¶ 4} The common pleas court is the reviewing tribunal for appeals from administrative agencies, such as the medical board, and the standard of review is provided by R.C. 119.12. That statute provides that the trial court may affirm the agency's order if, after considering the entire record, the court finds that the order is supported by reliable, probative, and substantial evidence, and is in accordance with law. R.C. 119.12; Pons v. Ohio State Med. Bd. (1993), 66 Ohio St.3d 619,621, 614 N.E.2d 748. On appeal, courts must defer to the medical board's interpretation of the technical and ethical requirements of that profession. Id. at syllabus.

{¶ 5} Our review is even more limited than that of the trial court, because it is the trial court's function to examine the evidence. Id. at 621. The court of appeals' function is solely to determine whether the trial court abused its discretion — "not merely an error of judgment, but perversity of will, passion, prejudice, partiality, or moral delinquency." Id. Furthermore, neither we, nor the trial court may substitute our judgment for that of the medical board. See id. (citingLorain City Sch. Dist. Bd. of Edn. v. State Employment RelationsBd. [1988], 40 Ohio St.3d 257, 260-261, 533 N.E.2d 264). *Page 4

{¶ 6} To understand the nature of Dr. Parks' assignments of error, we must first summarize the facts and medical history of three former patients. These facts come directly from the medical board's Report and Recommendation ("board report"), prepared by R. Gregory Porter, Esq., a medical board hearing examiner. The hearing examiner heard all the evidence in this matter, including expert testimony, fact testimony from the patients themselves, and testimony from subsequent treating physicians. The hearing examiner also considered scholarly articles, publications, and other documents pertinent to the relevant standards of care. After considering all of this evidence, the hearing examiner issued a 51-page board report. The record on appeal also contains the transcript of the proceedings before the medical board ("transcript"). To protect patient confidentiality, their identities were redacted from the hearing transcripts, and identified by the board as Patients 1-3. We will refer to them in the same manner.

{¶ 7} Dr. Parks performed three outpatient liposuction procedures on Patient 1, a female, in December 1995, and in April and May 1996. The primary focus of these procedures was Patient 1's neck, but Dr. Parks also performed liposuction on her abdomen, thighs, and hips.

{¶ 8} Patient 1 was apparently dissatisfied with Dr. Parks' treatment, because she sued him for malpractice in 1997. The lawsuit was terminated after the trial court granted summary judgment in favor of Dr. Parks.

{¶ 9} The medical board took issue with two aspects of Dr. Parks' care concerning Patient 1: (1) Dr. Parks allegedly failed to discuss and document possible alternative treatments with Patient 1; and (2) Dr. Parks neglected to record Patient 1's bodyweight before the first liposuction procedure, which may have resulted in Patient 1 *Page 5 receiving an excessive dose of the anesthetic drug lidocaine. The former is the subject of the first assignment of error herein.

{¶ 10} Patient 1 was approximately 55 years old when she first came to see Dr. Parks. In the months leading up to her first liposuction procedure on her neck and chin, Patient 1 lost about 40 pounds, and was concerned about sagging, loose skin. Dr. Parks testified that he counseled Patient 1 about possibly performing a face-lift or neck-lift to correct the problem, but that Patient 1 opted for liposuction instead, because it was less expensive, and involved a much quicker recovery period. Patient 1 testified that Dr. Parks did not discuss these alternative treatment options with her; however, the medical board hearing examiner determined that Patient 1's testimony was unreliable based on her poor memory.

{¶ 11} Nonetheless, the medical board hearing examiner determined that Dr.

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Related

Pons v. Ohio State Medical Board
614 N.E.2d 748 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1993)

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Bluebook (online)
2008 Ohio 3304, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/parks-v-state-medical-board-08ap-68-6-30-2008-ohioctapp-2008.