Opinion ID: 1613536
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Nature of the Function

Text: ¶ 16. In Sullivan, the Court found Dr. Meeks's supervisory role in the surgery to be significant because he did not have a private-patient relationship with the patient, but rather, served a public function by providing care for a Medicaid patient. 768 So.2d at 884. Likewise, Dr. Madakasira argues he held a supervisory role in the psychiatry department at UMMC. When presented with the facts of Bennett's condition, he merely signed off on the prescription because Dr. Ali did not have a DEA number. The only reason that he was involved at all, he argues, was because University procedure required a DEA number. Dr. Madakasira avers: [W]ithout the opportunity to avail himself of the University procedure of presenting the case to him, as his supervisor, Dr. Ali would not have been able to prescribe medication that required a DEA number, and therefore would not have been able to carry out his clinical responsibilities as a member of the psychiatric department and UMMC faculty member. ¶ 17. We find that Dr. Madakasira did not exercise a supervisory role over Dr. Ali, who, unlike Dr. Sullivan, had been practicing medicine for years. Although Dr. Madakasira did not render any direct treatment to Jake, his supervision occurred as a part of patient care, not as part of insuring a reputable medical school. As such, his function was more than simply being available to consult with residents; his primary function was related to the treatment of patients. See Lee v. Bourgeois, 252 Va. 328, 477 S.E.2d 495, 498 (1996).