Mental Health Law Blog

Our guest author of this is article is John Stone, a Senior Attorney with National Legal Research Group in Charlottesville, Virginia.
A state must release a person who is involuntarily committed if the grounds for his commitment no longer exist. See O’Connor v. Donaldson, 422 U.S. 563, 574-75 (1975); cf. Jackson v. Indiana, 406 U.S. 715, 738 (1972) (“[D]ue process requires that the nature and duration of commitment bear some reasonable relation to the purpose for which the individual is committed.”). If the requirement to release the committed when they deserve to be let out is to have any meaning, a state must also periodically review whether the grounds […]

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law
On April 19, 2016, three individuals from Central Florida were arrested and charged in a Medicaid fraud case using the stolen identities of students and false mental-health evaluations, according to the Florida Attorney General’s Office. The three allegedly assisted Orlando-based companies to defraud Medicaid out of more than $500,000 for services that were never rendered. The companies that were fraudulently billed were Revive Athletics, Divine Consulting and Durden Consulting, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

The Details of the Scheme.

One of the arrested was the head of an Orange County Schools mentoring program, Young Men […]

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

Do you know what a “compromised physician” or “compromised health provider” is?  It may not be what you think it is.

The term is used seldom to allude to doctors, health professionals and health facilities whose identities and billing numbers have been stolen and have been or are being utilized by convicts to falsely bill Medicaid, Medicare, Tricare and health care coverage programs for services never rendered.

Stolen Medical Identities

Once in a while, these “compromised healthcare providers” have their identifying information ordered into lists which are sold or exchanged from one criminal to the next. This may wind […]

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

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on October 24, 2016 that Life Care Centers of America will be paying $145 million to end False Claims Act (FCA) litigation that alleged the company entered false claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy services that were unnecessary.  This payout is a FCA record high for the nursing industry and DOJ claims it is the one of the largest in the Department’s history.

Who Blew The Whistle?

Glenda Martin and Tammie Taylor, the two whistle blowers and former employees of Life Care, will be splitting the $29 million cut of the […]

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

This is Part 2 of a 3 part series on this issue.

I continue with my tips for preparing good, professional correspondence:

5. Use titles or honorifics.  In the “business address” of your correspondence, always use the complete name of the person to whom you are writing (if known) together with that person’s honorific or professional title (e.g., Mr., Ms., Dr., Nurse, Prof., Dean, etc.).  This shows both respect and professionalism.

6. Always use the complete mailing address, including title, of the person to whom you are sending it.  In the business address […]