Terms Used In Florida Statutes 458.339

  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Department: means the Department of Health. See Florida Statutes 458.305
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Physician: means a person who is licensed to practice medicine in this state. See Florida Statutes 458.305
  • Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
Every physician who accepts a license to practice medicine in this state shall, by so accepting the license or by making and filing a renewal of licensure to practice in this state, be deemed to have given his or her consent, during a lawful investigation of a complaint, to the following:

(1) To render a handwriting sample to an agent of the department and, further, to have waived any objections to its use as evidence against him or her.
(2) To waive the confidentiality and authorize the preparation and release of medical reports pertaining to the mental or physical condition of the physician himself or herself when the department has reason to believe that a violation of this chapter has occurred and when the department issues an order, based on the need for additional information, to produce such medical reports for the time period relevant to the complaint. As used in this section, “medical reports” means a compilation of medical treatment of the physician himself or herself which shall include symptoms, diagnosis, treatment prescribed, relevant history, and progress.
(3) To waive any objection to the admissibility of the reports as constituting privileged communications. Such material maintained by the department shall remain confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) until probable cause is found and an administrative complaint issued.
  Previous section
Next section  
 Chapter 458 Contents