State ex rel. Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure & Supervision v. Litchfield

2004 OK CIV APP 99, 103 P.3d 1111, 76 O.B.A.J. 51, 2004 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 95, 2004 WL 3016242
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 14, 2004
DocketNo. 98,927
StatusPublished

This text of 2004 OK CIV APP 99 (State ex rel. Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure & Supervision v. Litchfield) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure & Supervision v. Litchfield, 2004 OK CIV APP 99, 103 P.3d 1111, 76 O.B.A.J. 51, 2004 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 95, 2004 WL 3016242 (Okla. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

Opinion by

KEITH RAPP, Judge.

T1 Trial court defendant, Lonnie William Litchfield, M.D., (Litchfield) appeals the Final Order of Suspension entered by trial court plaintiff, State ex rel. The Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision (Board) in this action for suspension of a medical license.

BACKGROUND

12 Litchfield is a board-certified anesthesiologist. Prior to attending medical school, Litchfield obtained a degree in chiropractic and worked as a chiropractor from 1983 until approximately 1994. During this time, Litchfield was accepted into the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. He graduated from medical school in 1994 and did his residency at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in anesthesiology. He completed his residency in 1998 and received his board certification in anesthesiology in 2000.

T3 In about May 2000, Litchfield opened the Pain Management and Rehabilitation Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, referred to as the Hefner-Pointe Clinic, with Troy Tortorici, M.D. Litchfield worked at the Hefner-Pointe Clinic one day a week and Dr. Tortorici worked at the clinic one afternoon per week. The clinic employed a chiropractor, Steve Sweeney, (Sweeney) that worked at the Hefner-Pointe Clinic on a daily basis. The clinic primarily provided services to those suffering injuries due to personal injuries or workers' compensation injuries. The services provided through this clinic included assessing the client, providing independent medical examinations in workers' compensation cases, and providing the necessary follow-up treatment. Litchfield continued his anesthesiology practice at various Oklahoma City hospitals while working at the Hefner-Pointe Clinic.

T4 Litchfield, Dr. Tortorici, and Sweeney opened another pain management clinic in Midwest City, referred to as the Mid-Del Clinic, in order to provide services in a more convenient location to several of their patients and attorneys. Litchfield was an equal partner in the Mid-Del Clinic with Dr. Tor-torici and Sweeney, but never provided any services at the clinic. The Mid-Del Clinic did not staff any physicians at the clinic, but there were numerous chiropractors employed at the clinic.

15 The Board filed a Complaint against Litchfield on June 11, 2002, and an Amended Complaint on September 6, 2002, alleging he was guilty of unprofessional conduct. The Board alleged Litchfield used stamped pre-seriptions for Schedule II through Schedule V controlled dangerous substances and, on at least one occasion, office staff gave a patient a pre-signed prescription for a controlled dangerous substance that Litchfield had previously signed and left in his desk drawer. The Board also alleged Litchfield often prescribed pain medication prior to the patient seeing a physician. In addition, the Board alleged Litchfield allowed his signature to be stamped on prescriptions for Schedule II controlled dangerous substances. Further, [1115]*1115the Board alleged "(al review of [Litchfield's] records reveals no indication that [he] ever performed a physical examination on [several patients], that he did not establish a legitimate medical need for the medical treatment, that he did not establish a valid physician patient relationship prior to prescribing the medications, and that he failed to maintain an office record which accurately reflects the evaluation, treatment and medical necessity of treatment of the patient."

1 6 The Board specifically alleged the standards of professional conduct Litchfield violated as:

A. Engaged in dishonorable or immoral conduct which is likely to deceive, defraud or harm the public in violation of 59 0.8. § 509(9) and OAC 485:10-7-4(11).
B. Violated any provision of the medical practice act or the rules and regulations of the Board or of an action, stipulation, or agreement of the Board in violation of 59 O.S. § 509(14) and OAC 485:10-7-4(89).
C. Aided or abetted, directly or indirectly, the practice of medicine by any person not duly authorized under the laws of this state in violation of 59 0.8. § 509(15) and OAC 485:10-7-4(21).
D. Prescribed a drug without sufficient examination and establishment of a valid physician patient relationship in violation of 59 0.8. § 509(18).
E. Confessed to a crime involving a violation of the anti-nareotic laws of the federal government or the laws of this state in violation of 59 0.8. § 509(8), 63 0.8. § 2-404, OAC 475:25-1-3 and OAC 475:80-1-4.
F. Committed an act which is a violation of the eriminal laws of any state when such act is connected with the physician's practice of medicine in violation of 59 O.S8. § 509(10).
G. Failed to maintain an office record for each patient which accurately reflects the evaluation, treatment, and medical necessity of treatment of the patient in violation of 59 O.S. § 509(19) and 485:10-7-4(41).
H. Violated a state or federal law or regulation relating to controlled substances in violation of OAC 485:10-7-4(27), 68 O.S8. § 2-404 and OAC 475:25-1-3.
I. Prescribed, dispensed or administered a controlled substance or narcotic drugs in excess of the amount considered good medical practice, or prescribed, dispensed or administered controlled substances or narcotic drugs without medical need in accordance with published standards in violation of 59 0.8. § 509(17).
J. Engaged in the indiscriminate or excessive prescribing, dispensing or administering of controlled or narcotic drugs in violation of OAC 485:10-7-4(1).
K. Prescribed, dispensed or administered controlled substances or narcotic drugs in excess of the amount considered good medical practice or prescribed, dispensed or administered controlled substances or nareotic drugs without medical need in accordance with published standard in violation of OAC 485:10-7-4(2) and (6).
L. Engaged in the delegation of authority to another person for the signing of pre-seriptions for either controlled or non-controlled drugs in violation of OAC 485:10-7-4(7).
M. Engaged in the use of any false, fraudulent, or deceptive statement in any document connected: with the practice of medicine and surgery in violation OAC 435:10-7-4(19).
N. Engaged in the improper management of medical records in violation of OAC 485:10-7-4(86).

I 7 After a hearing, the Board found Litch-field guilty of unprofessional conduct on ten counts and ordered that his medical license be suspended for one year and, at the conclusion of his suspension, that he be placed on probation for a five-year period. The Board also ordered Litchfield to complete 240 hours of community service as an anesthesiologist during his first year of probation and to pay all costs of the action authorized by law. Litchfield appeals. |

STANDARD OF REVIEW

T8 Allegations in an action involving the revocation of a professional license must be proven by clear and convincing evidence. Massengale v. Oklahoma Bd. of Examiners in Optometry, 2001 OK 55, ¶ 20, 29 [1116]*1116P.3d 558, 567.

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Bluebook (online)
2004 OK CIV APP 99, 103 P.3d 1111, 76 O.B.A.J. 51, 2004 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 95, 2004 WL 3016242, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-oklahoma-board-of-medical-licensure-supervision-v-oklacivapp-2004.