Case Name: LAYNE-WESTERN COMPANY & National Union Insurance Company, Appellants, v. Earl R. COX, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1986-11-17
Citations: 497 So. 2d 955
Docket Number: No. BJ-395
Parties: LAYNE-WESTERN COMPANY & National Union Insurance Company, Appellants, v. Earl R. COX, Appellee.
Judges: SHIVERS, J., concurs.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 497
Pages: 955–957

Head Matter:
LAYNE-WESTERN COMPANY & National Union Insurance Company, Appellants, v. Earl R. COX, Appellee.
No. BJ-395.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.
Nov. 17, 1986.
Bernard J. Zimmerman and William H. Lore of Zimmerman, Shuffield, Kiser & Sutcliffe, Orlando, for appellants.
John P. Gierach of Gierach & Ewald, Orlando, for appellee.

Opinion:
ERVIN, Judge.
The employer/carrier (E/C) appeals an order requiring it to bear the expense of an evaluation by an out-of-state physician. We affirm.
The claimant sustained a compensable injury on October 31, 1984. He was initially seen by two osteopathic physicians and was then seen by Dr. Carducci, an orthopedic physician. Dr. Carducci found no objective signs of injury except minimum swelling and a possible ganglion. He was of the opinion that the claimant had reached maximum medical improvement (MMI) as of February 20, 1985 and that no surgical procedure was indicated. In view of his lack of objective findings to support the claimant's continued complaints of pain, Dr. Carducci was of the opinion that the claimant's disability was more functional than real.
The same opinion was essentially reached by Dr. Borrero, a specialist in hand surgery, who, after performing surgery on claimant's wrist, excising the wrist ganglion and restructuring some dorsal capsular ligaments of the wrist, was of the view that the wounds had healed perfectly with minimal scarring. He found that claimant had achieved MMI as of July 8, 1985, and recommended that he stop thinking about any slight discomfort in his wrist and go back to work as soon as possible.
Finally, claimant consulted Dr. Poiley, a rheumatologist, who, after treating him for some period of time without alleviating his continuing complaints of pain, opined that claimant was suffering from post-operative arthritis, and, being of the impression that he could not benefit the claimant by any further treatment, recommended that claimant be examined by Dr. Klinert, a world-renowned hand surgeon. Although Dr. Poiley regarded Dr. Borrero as being as good or better than any hand surgeon in Florida, he did not consider him to be "quite as good" as Dr. Klinert, who had trained Dr. Borrero. In Dr. Poiley's opinion, if anyone in the country could resolve claimant's unending complaints of pain, Dr. Klinert could do so. Based on the above opinion, as well as the rheumatologist's view that he could do nothing further for claimant's condition, the deputy entered the order now on review.
We regard the deputy's order as having made an implicit finding that an out-of-state evaluation was necessary because equally beneficial treatment was not available in Florida. As we observed in Herman J. Heidrich & Sons v. Floyd, 406 So.2d 1296, 1297 (Fla. 1st DCA 1981), the controlling issue to be decided in determining whether out-of-state treatment should be directed at the carrier's expense is not the availability of facilities within the state, but whether such facilities as are available "can afford equally beneficial treatment." See also Decker v. City of West Palm Beach, 379 So.2d 1004 (Fla. 1st DCA 1980). In that the deputy's determination is supported by competent and substantial evidence, it is
AFFIRMED.
SHIVERS, J., concurs.
THOMPSON, J., dissents with written opinion.