Opinion ID: 2971825
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Dr. Broudy’s opinion

Text: The ALJ’s reliance on Dr. Broudy’s opinion is perhaps the most perplexing aspect of this case. Dr. Broudy’s opinion did not focus on Martin’s individual test results, whereas Dr. Rasmussen relied upon those very results to conclude that Martin suffered from pneumoconiosis. In addition, Dr. Broudy testified that an exercise blood-gas study can be indicative of an interstitial lung disease such as pneumoconiosis when the oxygen level is normal at rest and drops into the abnormal range when the patient exercises. When Dr. Rasmussen tested Martin, he observed exactly the drop in oxygen level as described by Dr. Broudy. Thus, according to Dr. Broudy’s testimony, the results of Dr. Rasmussen’s exercise blood-gas study directly reinforce Martin’s claim that he suffers from pneumoconiosis. The fact that Dr. Broudy’s testimony was hypothetical does not preclude it from supporting Dr. Rasmussen’s finding of pneumoconiosis based on the blood-gas results. In sum, we find no rational explanation for the ALJ’s conclusion that Dr. Broudy’s opinion is more credible than Dr. Rasmussen’s, especially after the ALJ determined that Dr. Broudy’s opinion “contain[ed] little rationale or explanation” and that Dr. Rasmussen’s was “well-reasoned.”