The Health Law Firm Blog | The Health Law Firm Blog

University of Miami Employee Allegedly Caught Red Handed Stealing More Than $14 Million in Cancer Drugs

By Michael L. Smith, J.D., R.R.T., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

For three years, hundreds of life-saving cancer drugs disappeared from the shelves of the University of Miami’s (UM) Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. A pharmacy technician at the center was arrested in connection to the thefts in May of 2011, and is accused of stealing more than $14 million in cancer drugs, according to the Miami Herald. The pharmacy tech faces four counts of grand theft, two counts of trafficking in contraband prescription drugs and one count of dealing in stolen property.

To read the entire article from the […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:39-04:00June 1, 2018|In the Know, Pharmacy, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Industry Trend: Hospital Systems Merging and Acquiring Private Practices All Over the Country

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

There’s a structural shift that is sweeping the health care system – hospitals are acquiring private physician practices. It is happening all over the U.S., including right here in Central Florida. On December 31, 2012, Orlando Health – a nonprofit, multi-hospital system that owns Orlando Regional Medical Center and eight other hospitals – will allegedly merge with Physician Associates – Central Florida’s largest medical practice, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The alleged price tag on this sale is $50 million, with each of the group’s 95 physicians receiving about $500,000 a piece.

Critics Believe […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:40-04:00June 1, 2018|In the Know, In the News, Physician Contracts, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Contracting 101: Tips for Physicians and Health Professionals – Part 5

By Christopher E. Brown, J.D., and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law
This blog is the fifth in a series intended to provide an introductory review of the basics of contracting for physicians and health professionals, primarily by discussing employment agreements. We will highlight many of the common provisions found in employment contracts, along with many of the mistakes and pitfalls that we see in our day-to-day practice.

By the end of the series it is our hope that physicians and other health professionals will understand the common language and terms found in employment contracts for professionals so they […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:40-04:00June 1, 2018|In the Know, Physician Contracts, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Central Florida Has Been Invaded By Zombies – No Twinkies Means No Food Source

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

You are already aware of Floridians’ fear of zombies, as shown by recent legislation against bath salts. Despite this, there continue to be reports of rampant zombie outbreaks across the Sunshine State. The zombie apocalypse has hit Central Florida, hard. As a citizen of Florida, you know you are not safe; not from zombies, not from British tourists, not from inability to count (notes in an election) and not from the state legislature. To make matters worse, Twinkies, the only food known to mankind that can survive a post-apocalyptic zombie […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:40-04:00June 1, 2018|In the Know, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Tightened Restrictions Placed on Pain Management Clinics in Seminole County

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

Seminole County, Florida, is the latest county to adopt tightened regulations for pain management clinics. On November 13, 2012, County Commissioners unanimously voted to adopt the ordinance enacting Chapter 186 of the Seminole County Code to establish regulations regarding pain management clinics.

Click here to read the entire Seminole County Ordinance.

County Commissioners hope these new regulations will aid law enforcement in fighting illegal pill mill operations in Florida.

Officials Believe Restrictions Will Help Prevent Overprescribing.

The ordinance requires clinics to get a license, produce monthly […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:40-04:00June 1, 2018|In the Know, Pain Management, The Health Law Firm Blog|

The Importance of Complying with the Stark Law and Other Anti-Fraud Laws

By Lance O. Leider, J.D.

The federal government has several tools in its toolbox to combat Medicare fraud. Among those are the Stark Act, Anti-Kickback laws, and Civil Monetary Penalty Laws. Each of these typically focuses on a particular type of behavior that is prone to abuse by healthcare providers.

The following focuses on the Stark law and what is prohibited by it. Primarily, the Stark laws exist to combat the problems that can arise from physician self-referrals. Self-referrals are cases in which a physician orders a test or service and refers the patient to a provider in which the referring physician has a financial interest. This […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:40-04:00June 1, 2018|In the Know, Medicare, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Ex-Hospital Employee Admits to Stealing and Selling Confidential Patient Information

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

On October 22, 2012, a former Florida Hospital employee admitted to stealing patient information that was used to target customers for lawyers and chiropractors, according to a number of sources. The man allegedly pleaded guilty in Orlando federal court to one count of conspiracy and one count of wrongful disclosure of health information, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). By accessing this information the man violated criminal provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

To read a press […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:40-04:00June 1, 2018|HIPAA, In the Know, In the News, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Georgia Doctors and Nurses Losing Licenses to Practice Due to Immigration Law

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

Hundreds of Georgia health providers are without a professional license to practice, because a new immigration law is causing massive backups in paperwork, according to a number of sources. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011 or House Bill 87 went into effect on January 1, 2012, and requires every person to prove his or her citizenship or legal residency when the individual renews his or her license.

To read House Bill 87 in its entirety, click here.

With all of the extra paperwork […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:41-04:00June 1, 2018|In the Know, Licensing issues, The Health Law Firm Blog|

What Health Providers Need to Know About Telemedicine

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

For years providing health care to patients has been at a location that is convenient to the health provider. With emerging trends in telemedicine and upcoming healthcare reforms, recently enacted, patients may begin to enjoy the convenience of medical evaluation and follow-up by video, telephone and computer. The biggest bar to this to date has been the refusal of Medicare, Medicaid and insurers to pay for this, along with restrictive state board of medicine regulations prohibiting it. For example, a big thorn in the side of physicians treating pain management patients has […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:42-04:00June 1, 2018|In the Know, The Health Law Firm Blog|

How Safe Is Your Hospital?

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

It’s been a long time since most of us have seen a report card, but hospitals all over the nation received their safety grades on November 28, 2012. Leapfrog, a national group that advocates for safer health care, determined the grades. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Florida hospitals ranked well. Overall, 39 percent (39%) of the 156 hospitals graded received A’s, earning the Sunshine State a tenth place ranking in the nation.

Click here to read the entire article from the Orlando Sentinel.

How Florida Hospitals […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:42-04:00June 1, 2018|Health Care Industry, In the Know, The Health Law Firm Blog|