Opinion ID: 2615624
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Did the Board Improperly Rely on Findings in Counts V, XIV, and XV to Sanction Dr. Halter?

Text: Dr. Halter argues that the Board cannot use its findings in Counts V, XIV, and XV to sanction him because the Board did not find that he had violated AS 08.64.326 in those counts. The State did not address this issue. To sanction Dr. Halter, the Board needed to have found that he demonstrated professional incompetence, gross negligence, or repeated negligent conduct. [16] In Count I, the hearing officer essentially found that Dr. Halter was professionally incompetent. In Counts V, XIV, and XV, the officer found that Dr. Halter's action with each patient constitutes negligent conduct, but this finding for this count alone, does not constitute `repeated negligent' conduct under AS 08.64.326(a)(8)(A). Although the hearing officer found that each count alone did not constitute repeated negligence, we conclude that all three counts taken together satisfy the repeated negligent conduct standard in AS 08.64.326(a)(8)(A). For this reason, we conclude that the sanction may be based on Counts V, XIV, and XV, along with Count I.