About The Health Law Firm

The Health Law Firm concentrates on representing health care providers. Our health law attorneys and paralegals have decades of experience in the legal and health care fields. Our health law attorneys include those Board Certified in Health Law, Masters degree trained, former hospital counsel and licensed health care professionals. Our clients include physicians, dentists, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, medical students, nursing homes, home health agencies, hospitals, health insurers, medical groups, durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers, and other health care providers.
FacebookLinkedInEmail

Medications and Substances that Mimic Prohibited Drugs on Urinalysis Drug Tests (Part 1)

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law
In representing nurses and other licensed health professionals, we constantly discuss positive drug screenings, usually from employer-ordered drug testing, with our clients.  These clients include nurses, pharmacists, dental professionals, mental health counselors, therapists, etc.  Often these individuals need to remember that if they apply for a job with a new employer or are working for a large corporation or the government, they are subject to employer-ordered drug screenings.  Most problems arise when the professional has applied to a hospital or a placement agency for work in a hospital and they must submit to a pre-employment drug […]
By |2024-03-14T09:59:29-04:00May 23, 2023|Dental Law Blog|
Read More

Medications and Other Substances that Mimic Prohibited Drugs on Urinalysis Drug Tests (Part 1 of a Blog Series)

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law
In representing nurses and other licensed health professionals, we constantly discuss positive drug screenings, usually from employer-ordered drug testing, with our clients.  These clients include nurses, pharmacists, dental professionals, mental health counselors, therapists, etc.  Often these individuals need to remember that if they apply for a job with a new employer or are working for a large corporation or the government, they are subject to employer-ordered drug screenings.  Most problems arise when the professional has applied to a hospital or a placement agency for work in a hospital and they must submit to a pre-employment drug […]
By |2024-03-14T09:59:30-04:00May 23, 2023|Nursing Law Blog|
Read More

Medicare Revocation and the Collateral Damage It Can Cause Health Care Providers

Author HeadshotBy George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law
Many healthcare professionals are unaware of the adverse long-term collateral effects of Medicare revocation or exclusion on their careers and future employment. However, if you are a physician, dentist, nurse, mental health counselor, psychologist, pharmacist, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, massage therapist, or other licensed health professional whose license is revoked or suspended, there may still be hope.

Lasting Consequences of Medicare Revocation. 
A revocation or exclusion from Medicare is often a severe consequence of license discipline on a professional license and can devastate a provider’s career. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) can revoke a […]
By |2024-03-14T09:59:30-04:00May 17, 2023|Dental Law Blog|
Read More

Florida Attorney Says AHCA Must Put Medicaid Final Orders Online

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) has come under fire for failing to make Medicaid final orders accessible to the public. On April 11, 2023, an attorney asked a Florida appeals court to revive her suit against AHCA, trying to force AHCA into compliance with state public records laws.

Attorney Nancy Wright says the AHCA orders fall under a state law that requires all proceedings determined by a state agency to be placed into a centralized electronic database accessible to the public. This would allow citizens and healthcare providers more accessible access to those decisions and […]

By |2024-03-14T09:59:30-04:00May 16, 2023|Mental Health Law Blog|
Read More

Former Dental Office Manager Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Defrauding Medicaid Out of More Than $813,000

George Indest HeadshotBy George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On October 1, 2021, a former dental office manager was sentenced to 12 months in prison for her role in a Medicaid fraud scheme. The office manager for Universal Smiles, a D.C.-based dental practice was sentenced for her guilt in bilking Medicaid, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for D.C.

The office manager was indicted in January 2019, along with the dentist who ran the practice. The office manager pleaded guilty in May 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and admitted she received over $813,000 through false billings.

The Fraudulent Billing […]

By |2024-03-14T09:59:30-04:00May 12, 2023|Dental Law Blog|
Read More

Don’t Get Labeled as a “Problem Resident” for Disputes With Your Medical Education Program: Prepare to Identify and Address Problems

George Indest HeadshotBy George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

A resident physician has a tough life while working to become specialized in a medical specialty, especially in the more complex ones. Try to make it less complicated instead of more complicated.

Residents are In Two Different Positions: An Academic Position and an Employee Position.

Residents actually serve in two different positions. One position is as a learner in an academic situation, similar to a student, pursuing post-graduate training and education in an accredited graduate medical education (GME) program. The second position is as a full-time employee, paid to take care of patients in hospitals and […]

By |2024-03-14T09:59:30-04:00May 12, 2023|Medical Education Law Blog|
Read More

Court Assesses $170 Million in Fines Against Two Texas Ophthalmologists For False Claims

Lawyer, Author HeadshotBy George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On November 18, 2021, the Justice Department announced that two Texas ophthalmologists and their eye clinic must pay millions of dollars in penalties for fraudulently billing Medicare. The penalties were assessed in connection with their evaluation and treatment of glaucoma.

U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes assessed $170 million in penalties against the ophthalmologists and their eye clinic in Houston, Outreach Diagnostic Clinic.

A Former Employee Blew the Whistle.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the action resulted from a False Claims Act (FCA) or “qui tam” suit. The whistleblower was […]

By |2024-03-14T09:59:30-04:00May 12, 2023|Health Facilities Law Blog, In the News|
Read More

Humana Agrees To Pay $11.2 Million to End Nurses’ Overtime Suit

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On September 27, 2021, Humana agreed to pay $11.2 million to end claims that the health insurance company denied a group of nurses overtime pay by misclassifying them as exempt employees. A Wisconsin federal judge approved the deal with Humana, and a group of more than 200 nurses reached, securing a $36,000 average payment for each nurse involved in the suit.

A Violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

This dispute stems from a class-action lawsuit filed in 2017 alleging that Humana misclassified its clinical nurse advisers as exempt employees and denied them overtime compensation, violating […]

By |2024-03-14T09:59:31-04:00May 10, 2023|Dental Law Blog|
Read More

From the archives: CMS Using Medicare Termination to Squash Doctors Involved in Overprescribing Opioids

Previously published on February 11, 2022
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Recently it has come to our attention that there may be a nationwide effort by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to squelch physicians who prescribe opioids and other narcotic medications. We have seen letters sent out by CMS MACs to physicians notifying them that their Medicare program billing privileges have been terminated because CMS has identified them as a provider who is overprescribing.


Nationwide Effort to Run “Pill Mills” Out of Business.

We are well aware of efforts by the various law enforcement authorities at the […]

By |2024-03-14T09:59:31-04:00May 8, 2023|Dental Law Blog, Health Facilities Law Blog, Marijuana Law Blog, Massage Law Blog, Medical Education Law Blog|
Read More

From the archives: CMS Using Medicare Termination to Squash Doctors Involved in Overprescribing Opioids

Previously published on February 11, 2022
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Recently it has come to our attention that there may be a nationwide effort by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to squelch physicians who prescribe opioids and other narcotic medications. We have seen letters sent out by CMS MACs to physicians notifying them that their Medicare program billing privileges have been terminated because CMS has identified them as a provider who is overprescribing.


Nationwide Effort to Run “Pill Mills” Out of Business.

We are well aware of efforts by the various law enforcement authorities at the […]

By |2024-03-14T09:59:31-04:00May 8, 2023|Mental Health Law Blog|
Read More
“The Health Law Firm” is a registered fictitious business name of George F. Indest III, P.A.
The Health Law Firm, a Florida professional service corporation, since 1999.
Copyright © 2024 The Health Law Firm. All rights reserved.
FacebookInstagramLinkedInTwitterYouTube
Go to Top