In the News | The Health Law Firm Blog

The field of health care is frequently in the news with technology updates, privacy breaches, innovative procedures, malpractice claims, etc. Learn more about the happenings of health care providers (physicians, nurses, dentists, hospitals, nursing homes, pain management clinics, medical students, mental health counselors, etc.) in Florida and around the United States.

The Collateral Effects of Voluntary Relinquishment with Investigation Pending or other Discipline on Your Massage Therapy License

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

Many massage therapists are unaware of the drastic long-term effects that discipline on their massage therapist license could have. This includes submitting a voluntary relinquishment of the massage therapist’s license while there is an investigation pending or while there are charges pending. Although this particular article is being prepared specifically for massage therapists, similar principles apply to physicians, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, dentists, mental health counselors and other licensed health professionals.

A voluntary relinquishment of the license after notice of the opening of an investigation or while a charge is pending is treated the same […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:36-04:00June 1, 2018|Department of Health, Health Care Industry, In the Know, In the News, Informal Hearings, Licensing issues, Massage Therapy, Massage Therapy License, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Medicare Put the Hospice Industry Under the Microscope

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

It’s no surprise to anyone that Medicare is cracking down on hospices around the country. According to a report by the Office of Inspector General (OIG), eighty-two percent (82%) of hospices’ claims did not meet Medicare coverage requirements. That is why Medicare is investigating the industry as a whole. Specific details on what Medicare is looking for can be found in the 2013 OIG Work Plan. Click here to read the 2013 OIG Work Plan.

So far, Medicare has kept true to its word. During the week of […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:44-04:00June 1, 2018|Health Care Industry, In the Know, In the News, Medicare, Medicare Audit, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Supreme Court Rules that Government Regulators Can Sue Over Pay-for-Delay Agreements Between Brand and Generic Drug Manufacturers

George F. Indest III, Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

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

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 17, 2013, that pay-for-delay agreements between brand name and generic drug manufacturers are subject to anti-trust scrutiny. These pay-for-delay agreements, or reverse payments, are usually a form of settlement between the two manufacturers in patent litigation. The Supreme Court decided that each instance must be considered on a case-by-case basis. This verdict rewrites the rules governing the release of generic drugs. It is […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:49-04:00June 1, 2018|Appeal, Health Care Industry, In the Know, In the News, Pharmaceutical Drugs, Pharmacy, The Health Law Firm Blog|

New MCAT Will Put the Social Skills of Potential Doctors to the Test

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

The 8,200 aspiring doctors expected to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) this year will be seeing a different exam than their predecessors.

The doctor-patient dynamic is changing. So, to stay on top of this shift in the health care industry, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) announced in April 2015, the first major revision to the MCAT in 25 years. This test is the first high-stake exam encountered by physicians. The big difference physician hopefuls will notice is that the new test assesses social aptitude and not just hard science.

The New MCAT.

There […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:59-04:00June 1, 2018|Health Care Industry, In the Know, In the News, Medical Students, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Detroit Medical Center to Pay $42M to End Nine-Year Class Action Lawsuit

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

A month before trial was set to begin, Detroit Medical Center (DMC) agreed to pay $42 million to end a nine-year antitrust class action lawsuit. The long-running suit was brought by nurses accusing eight Detroit area hospitals of conspiring to keep their wages low, violating antitrust laws from 2002-2006. The DMC was the last remaining defendant in a class-action lawsuit before Chief U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen. To read a blog I wrote on another health care antitrust case, click here.

A copy of the class action complaint that was filed in […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:01-04:00June 1, 2018|In the News, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Florida Doctor Arrested for Drug Sales and Other Criminal Charges

Drug trafficking charges against a medical doctor are not a new concept, especially in Florida. Recent pill mill busts throughout the state have resulted in an omnipresent DEA, always on the lookout for illegal drug sales by pharmacies, pharmacists, pain management clinics and physicians. However, the recent arrest of a Central Florida doctor extends beyond the run of the mill “pill mill” bust, as the accusations in this case involve sex with a minor and delivering a controlled substance to a minor.

According to Florida Today, this Central Florida doctor was arrested Tuesday following a raid by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. This is his second arrest after he was charged with possession of marijuana […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:26-04:00June 1, 2018|Health Care Industry, In the Know, In the News, Pain Management, Pharmacy, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Senators Want National Investigation of State Medical Boards

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

A bipartisan effort has been initiated by three U.S. Senators to launch a national evaluation of state medical boards. Senators Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.) sent a letter to the director of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requesting an investigation into state medical boards at the end of February 2012.

In the letter the senators ask the OIG to launch a national investigation of state medical boards in which the OIG would:

Identify challenges and process improvements for state medical boards, including those that occur across state boundaries;
Identify legislative changes that […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:30-04:00June 1, 2018|Department of Health, Health Care Industry, In the News, The Health Law Firm Blog|

July Issue of Medical Economics Features Article by George F. Indest III

By Cori Pope, The Health Law Firm

The July 25, 2012, issue of Medical Economics features an article written by George F. Indest III, President and Managing Partner of The Health Law Firm. The article, “Beware Legal Ramifications of Unnecessary Tests,” discusses lists that were recently released by nine medical specialty societies on medical tests and procedures patients and physicians should question or avoid.

What Patients and Doctors Need to Know about These Lists.

In the article Mr. Indest provides his insights into what these lists of questionable procedures may mean for patients and doctors.

Patients now have access to some of the same […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:34-04:00June 1, 2018|Health Care Industry, In the Know, In the News, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Hospice of the Comforter Inc., Faces Whistleblower Lawsuit

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

On September 6, 2012, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it will join in a whistleblower lawsuit alleging false Medicare billings against Hospice of the Comforter Inc., (HOTCI). The hospice is located in Altamonte Springs, a suburb of the Orlando area, and provides hospice services to local patients.

To read the entire whistleblower complaint filed, click here.

Allegations in the Lawsuit Against HOTCI.

According to the DOJ, the lawsuit was filed by the former vice president of finance for HOTCI. The case alleges HOTCI submitted false claims to […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:36-04:00June 1, 2018|Health Care Industry, In the Know, In the News, Medicare, Medicare Audit, The Health Law Firm Blog, Whistleblower|

Update: Fake DEA Agents Calling Citizens, Claiming to Have Arrest Warrant

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

Health care providers beware, there is a scam making its rounds in Central Florida. Con men are telephoning citizens, including physicians, and pretending to be Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents in the hope of extorting money from them.

It’s a scam we first told you about in December 2012, but have since learned more. Click here to read my first blog on this nationwide telephone scam.

Fake DEA Agents Conning Citizens and Health Providers.

The scam starts with criminals posing as DEA agents calling victims by telephone. Frequently, just […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:44-04:00June 1, 2018|DEA, In the Know, In the News, The Health Law Firm Blog|