Pharmacist | The Health Law Firm Blog

Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Serves Up Immediate Suspension Order for Walgreens Distribution Center

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

On September 14, 2012, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) blocked the Walgreens distribution center in Jupiter, Florida, from shipping oxycodone and other controlled drugs to its pharmacies in Florida and the East Coast with an immediate suspension order, according to the DEA. In the press release, the DEA called the Walgreens distribution facility an “imminent danger” to the public.

To see the entire press release from the DEA, click here.

Back in April 2012, the DEA served an administrative inspection warrant at the same […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:39-04:00May 15, 2018|Legal Defense for Pharmacists, Pain Management, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Pharmacy Law|

Pharmacists: Beware of Scammers that Call and Claim to be DEA Agents

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

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is warning pharmacists to be aware of a prescription drug scam. This telephone scheme is extorting money from people all over the country. On November 28, 2012, the DEA released a press release explaining the details of the scam.

Con Artists Claim to Be DEA Agents and Request Money Over the Phone.

The scam starts with criminals posing as DEA agents calling victims by telephone. Frequently the victims will have recently purchased prescription drugs over the internet or by phone. The imposters tell the victims that purchasing the drugs in […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:39-04:00May 15, 2018|Pharmacist, Pharmacy|

Finding a Healthcare Providers Service Organization (HPSO) Insurance Defense Lawyer

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

We are sometimes told by the health professionals we represent especially pharmacists, licensed mental health counselors (LMHCs), advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs), massage therapists and physical therapists that after they received a complaint regarding their license from the Florida Department of Health (DOH) they had difficulty finding an experienced attorney in Florida who would accept their professional liability insurance. In this case, I am speaking specifically about Healthcare Providers Service Organization (HPSO) Insurance.

Benefits of HPSO Insurance.

The professionals who are covered by HPSO Insurance have excellent insurance coverage. HPSO Insurance […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:39-04:00May 15, 2018|Insurance, Legal Defense for Pharmacists, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Pharmacy Law|

Negligence Will Determine the Success or Failure of the Meningitis Lawsuits Against Doctors and Clinics

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

The victims and survivors of the meningitis outbreak are now filing lawsuits against the physicians and clinics that administered the tainted steroids. According to an article in The Tennessean, on January 29, 2013, a husband who lost his wife to fungal meningitis filed the first lawsuit against a Nashville outpatient clinic. It’s believed hundreds of people were injected at the same clinic with the tainted steroids. The man is now seeking $12.5 million in damages.

Click here to read the entire article from The Tennessean.

This lawsuit is just one in what is expected to […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:39-04:00May 15, 2018|Insurance, Legal Defense for Pharmacists, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Pharmacy Law|

Florida’s Medicaid Program Receives Settlement Payment from Pharmaceutical Company

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

The Florida Attorney General’s (AG) Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), 46 other states and the federal government reached a $48 million agreement with pharmaceutical company Healthpoint Ltd., on February 25, 2013. According to the Florida AG, the settlement is in response to allegations of misrepresenting the regulatory status of an ointment used to treat skin conditions and submitting false Medicaid claims. Florida’s Medicaid program will receive almost $900,000 of the settlement.

Click here to see the press release from the AG’s office.

Pharmaceutical Company Allegedly Submitted False Claims to Medicaid.

According to the Department of Justice […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:39-04:00May 15, 2018|Legal Defense for Pharmacists, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Pharmacy Law, Whistleblower|

United Parcel Service (UPS) Agrees to Pay Settlement for Online Pharmacy Shipping

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

United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) will pay $40 million to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to settle a probe related to its shipments on behalf of illicit online pharmacies. This announcement came on March 29, 2013.

Click here to read the press release from the DOJ.

UPS and FedEx Corp., have been the targets of a federal investigation to crackdown on illegal sales of prescription drugs.

UPS Had Previous Warning of Investigation.

From 2003 to 2010, the government warned UPS that internet pharmacies were using its services to distribute controlled substances and prescription drugs, according to the […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:39-04:00May 15, 2018|Legal Defense for Pharmacists, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Pharmacy Law, Pharmacy Law Blog, Trafficking Prescription Painkillers|

Nation Rx Drug Abuse Summit Held in Central Florida-Leaders Share Struggles and Triumphs in “War Against Prescription Drugs”

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

From April 2 through April 4, 2013, the country’s leading experts on the prescription drug epidemic met in Central Florida for the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit, according to the Orlando Sentinel. National leaders including the White House drug czar, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner and Florida’s Attorney General (AG) shared ongoing challenges and strides each department has made in its fight against prescription drugs.

Good News in the War Against Prescription Drugs.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) stated in its […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:39-04:00May 15, 2018|Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Pharmacy Law, Trafficking Prescription Painkillers|

Crackdown in the Supply of Prescription Medications Drive Floridians to Heroin

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

For the past three years, Florida lawmakers and officials have waged war against prescription drug abuse. At the peak of the pill abuse epidemic, seven people a day reportedly died of a prescription drug overdose in Florida. As the Sunshine State became known as painkiller capital of America, officials worked quickly to enact legislation against prescription drugs, develop and monitor the statewide prescription drug monitoring database, and crackdown on prescription drug abusers and pill mills. Flash forward to summer 2013, prescription pills are harder to come by and more expensive, therefore making them less […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:39-04:00May 15, 2018|Pain Management, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Trafficking Prescription Painkillers|

CVS Blacklists Second Set of Doctors Accused of Overprescribing Painkillers

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

CVS is again stepping up its own internal efforts to combat the nation’s prescription drug abuse epidemic. According to Reuters, the second largest retail pharmacy chain announced it is cutting off access to the most powerful painkillers for more than 36 doctors and health care providers around the country. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been keeping a close eye on CVS over the past few years. According to Reuters, CVS began revoking the dispensing privileges of certain providers back in 2011. CVS disclosed this round of suspensions on August 21, 2013.

To read […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:40-04:00May 15, 2018|Pharmacist, Pharmacy|

Need Last Minute Deposition or Hearing Representation? Call The Health Law Firm

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

Our office often takes phone calls from pharmacies and pharmacists needing short-notice representation at a Board of Pharmacy hearing or at a deposition related to a health care matter.

In our experience, many other law firms refuse to represent clients at a hearings unless the firm is given plenty of advance notice. We always prefer to have sufficient time to obtain documents, review files, interview witnesses, conduct research and prepare, in order to provide the best possible representation to our client. However, we realize that in certain cases, the alternative is that the client either […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:40-04:00May 15, 2018|Florida Board of Pharmacy, Legal Defense for Pharmacists, Pharmacist, Pharmacy|