Stahl v. Hialeah Hosp., 160 So. 3d 519 (Fla. 1st DCA 2015). · Go Syfert
Stahl v. Hialeah Hosp., 160 So. 3d 519 (Fla. 1st DCA 2015). Cases Citing This Book View Copy Cite
3 citation events across 2 distinct courts.
Strongest positive: THOMAS BECK v. MMI Dining Systems/ Montverde Academy/et al. (fladistctapp, 2015-12-30)
Top citers, strongest first. 1 distinct citer. How cited ↗
cited Cited "see" THOMAS BECK v. MMI Dining Systems/ Montverde Academy/et al.
Fla. Dist. Ct. App. · 2015 · signal: see · confidence high
See Stahl v. Hialeah Hosp., 160 So.3d 519 (Fla. 1st DCA 2015), review granted, 2015 WL 6126944 (Fla. Oct. 13, 2015).
Retrieving the full opinion text from the archive…
Daniel STAHL
v.
HIALEAH HOSPITAL and Sedgwick Claims Management Services
No. 1D14-3077.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.
Mar 25, 2015.
160 So. 3d 519
Mark L. Zientz of the Law Office of Mark L. Zientz, PA.., Miami, for Appellant., Russell H. Young of Eraclides, Gelman, Hall, Indek, Goodman & Waters, LLC., Sarasota, for Appellees.
Clark, Thomas, Wetherell.
Cited by 3 opinions  |  Published
Pinpoint authority: bottom 30%

OPINION ON MOTION FOR WRITTEN OPINION

PER CURIAM.

This cause is before us on Appellant’s motion for Written Opinion. We grant the motion and, accordingly, withdraw our former opinion of February 3, 2015, and substitute this opinion in its place.

In this workers’ compensation case, Claimant asserts that the 1994 addition of a $10 copay for medical visits after a claimant attains maximum medical improvement, and the 2003 elimination of permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits, make the Workers’ Compensation Law an inadequate exclusive replacement remedy for a tort action. See Ch. 93-415, § 17, at 110, Laws of Fla. (substantially rewriting section 440.13, Florida Statutes); Ch. 03-412, § 18, at 3920-24, Laws of Fla.[*520] (amending section 440.15(3)(c), Florida Statutes). We disagree, because both amendments withstand rational basis review, in that the copay provision furthers the legitimate stated purpose of ensuring reasonable medical costs after the injured worker has reached a maximum state of medical improvement, and PPD benefits were supplanted by impairment income benefits. See, e.g., § 440.015, Fla. Stat. (“It is the intent of the Legislature that the Workers’ Compensation Law be interpreted so as to assure the quick and efficient delivery of disability and medical benefits to an injured worker and to facilitate the worker’s return to gainful reemployment-at a reasonable cost to the employer.”); Bradley v. Hurricane Rest., 670 So.2d 162, 165 (Fla. 1st DCA 1996) (“Physical impairment is one accepted criterion for measuring benefits, and it was within the legislature’s discretion to utilize this standard.”).

AFFIRMED.

THOMAS, CLARK, and WETHERELL, JJ., concur.