Stevens ex rel. Stevens v. Hickman Community Health Care Services, Inc.

418 S.W.3d 547, 2013 WL 6158000, 2013 Tenn. LEXIS 990
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 25, 2013
StatusPublished
Cited by118 cases

This text of 418 S.W.3d 547 (Stevens ex rel. Stevens v. Hickman Community Health Care Services, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stevens ex rel. Stevens v. Hickman Community Health Care Services, Inc., 418 S.W.3d 547, 2013 WL 6158000, 2013 Tenn. LEXIS 990 (Tenn. 2013).

Opinions

OPINION

SHARON G. LEE, J.,

delivered the opinion of the Court,

in which CORNELIA A. CLARK and WILLIAM C. KOCH, JR., JJ„ joined. GARY R. WADE, C.J., and JANICE M. HOLDER, J., filed a separate concurring and dissenting opinion.

More than sixty days before filing suit, the plaintiff gave written notice to the potential defendants of her healthcare liability claim against them. Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-26-121(a)(2)(E) (2012) requires that a plaintiffs pre-suit notice include a HIPAA compliant medical authorization that permits the healthcare provider receiving the notice to obtain complete medical records from every other provider that is being sent a notice. Contrary to the statute, the plaintiff provided a non-HIPAA compliant medical authorization that only permitted the release of medical records to plaintiffs counsel. After the plaintiff filed suit, the defendants moved to dismiss the complaint based on noncompliance with Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-26-121(a)(2)(E). The trial court denied the motion, ruling that plaintiffs noncompliance was excused by extraordinary cause. We hold that the plaintiff was required to substantially comply with Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-26-121(a)(2)(E) and failed to do so, and that her failure to [552]*552comply is not excused by extraordinary cause. We dismiss the plaintiffs case without prejudice.

I.

On May 27, 2010, Mark Stevens went to the Hickman Community Hospital emergency room complaining of fever, weakness, increased respiratory effort, rapid breathing, wheezing, sore throat, and a toothache. He was diagnosed with a peritonsillar abscess and fever, prescribed medication, and sent home. Two days later, Mr. Stevens returned to the emergency room and was treated by Dr. Halford Whitaker, who ordered a computed tomography scan of Mr. Stevens’ head. The scan was normal, and Dr. Whitaker prescribed oxycodone and discharged Mr. Stevens. On June 1, 2010, Mr. Stevens went to the emergency room at Horizon Medical Center. He was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with septic shock, respiratory failure, pneumonia, renal failure, and multi-system organ failure. His condition worsened, and he was transferred to Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, where he died on August 20, 2010.1

On April 11, 2011, pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-26-121(a), counsel for Mr. Stevens’ widow and next of kin (“Plaintiff’) sent letters to Dr. Whitaker, Hickman Community Health Care Services, Inc., Hickman Community Hospital, and Elite Emergency Services, LLC, notifying them of a potential healthcare liability claim arising out of their care and treatment of Mr. Stevens. The notice letters requested Mr. Stevens’ medical records from each provider, and included a medical authorization that permitted the release of Mr. Stevens’ medical records to Plaintiffs counsel. The medical authorization failed to authorize each medical provider receiving the notice to obtain Mr. Stevens’ records from each other. The medical authorization also failed to provide Mr. Stevens’ name, date of birth, the individuals or organizations authorized to disclose medical records, and the type of information to be used or disclosed.

On September 13, 2011, Plaintiff filed a healthcare liability suit against Hickman Community Health Care Services, Inc., doing business as Hickman Community Hospital; Elite Emergency Services, LLC; and Halford Whitaker, M.D.2 (“Defendants”) in the Circuit Court for Hickman County.3 In her complaint, Plaintiff averred that she had complied with the pre-suit notice requirement of Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-26-121(a). Plaintiff also filed a certificate of good faith with her complaint pursuant to Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-26-122 (Supp.2011).

In November of 2011, Defendants each moved to dismiss, arguing that they did not receive proper pre-suit notice as required by Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-26-121(a), specifically § 29-26-121(a)(2)(E), and that [553]*553Plaintiffs noncompliance was not excused by extraordinary cause.

Following a hearing, the trial court denied Defendants’ motions to dismiss, ruling that the requirements of Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-26-121(a)(2)(E) were neither preempted by HIPAA4 nor in conflict with Tennessee law. The trial court also found that Plaintiffs failure to comply with the requirements of Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-26-121(a)(2)(E) was excused by extraordinary cause. In reaching this finding, the trial court explained that it could not order Plaintiffs compliance with TenmCode Ann. § 29-26-121(a)(2)(E) because Mr. Stevens was deceased, and noted further that Plaintiff had given Defendants notice of the suit and filed a certifícate of good faith.

The trial court granted the Defendants’ request for an interlocutory appeal, but the Court of Appeals denied the request. Dr. Whitaker filed an application for permission to appeal. We granted the application and review the following issues: whether Plaintiff is required to strictly or substantially comply with the requirements of Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-26-121(a)(2)(E); whether Plaintiff complied with Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-26-121(a)(2)(E); if Plaintiff failed to comply, whether Plaintiffs failure is excused by extraordinary cause; and the consequences of Plaintiffs failure to comply if not excused.

To resolve these issues, we must interpret the meaning of various provisions of Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-26-121. Statutory interpretation is a question of law, which we review de novo. Pratcher v. Methodist Healthcare Memphis Hospitals, 407 S.W.3d 727, 734 (Tenn.2013). When interpreting a statute, our role is to aseer-tain and effectuate the legislature’s intent. Sullivan ex rel. Hightower v. Edwards Oil Co., 141 S.W.3d 544, 547 (Tenn.2004). We must not broaden or restrict a statute’s intended meaning. Garrison v. Bickford, 377 S.W.3d 659, 663 (Tenn.2012) (quoting U.S. Bank, N A. v. Tenn. Farmers Mut. Ins. Co., 277 S.W.3d 381, 386 (Tenn.2009)).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
418 S.W.3d 547, 2013 WL 6158000, 2013 Tenn. LEXIS 990, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stevens-ex-rel-stevens-v-hickman-community-health-care-services-inc-tenn-2013.