By Lance O. Leider, J.D., The Health Law Firm and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law
By statute, the Florida Legislature requires that the Department of Health (DOH) maintain an online practitioner profile for medical doctors, osteopathic physicians (DOs), chiropractors (DCs), advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and podiatric physicians.
Click here to learn more about these profiles from the DOH’s website.
However, the same law requires those health professionals to immediately update the profile when there is a change and to verify its accuracy.
What Does the Practitioner Profile Contain?
DOH practitioner profiles contain information such as education, disciplinary history, practice address, criminal history, malpractice actions, licensure actions by other jurisdictions, hospital privileging actions, insurance information and other optional information. These profiles are published on the DOH’s website. They are freely accessible by the public and are frequently used by employers, medical staff committees, and insurance panels to verify information provided by applicants.
Check Your Personal Profile for Accuracy.
Unfortunately, this information is not always correct. Oftentimes the information in a profile is outdated or misreported. The majority of the information in a profile is supposed to be entered through the website by the practitioner personally; however, the DOH is free to add information on its own.
Recently, The Health Law Firm had a client whose employment contract was not renewed due to misreported criminal history information on the DOH practitioner profile. Most troubling was the fact that this information appeared on the profile suddenly; it had not been on the practitioner profile in the past. Furthermore, the information was decades old and had been posted in direct violation of a court order sealing the underlying records.
We have also had cases where information was incorrect, where the same information was repeated several times, or where the information on the profile did not meet basic requirements for reporting.
Fight Misreported Information on Your Practitioner Profile.
The Health Law Firm has been successful in having the DOH remove criminal history information and other incorrect information from a practitioner profile.
It is imperative that you check your practitioner profile regularly to ensure that it is accurate with respect to the information that you provided and that may have been provided by the DOH. If you find that confidential or incorrect information has been posted to your profile, contact an attorney experienced with dealing with these matters immediately. You never know when your employer, a business associate or potential patient will look up your information on your profile.
Contact Health Law Attorneys Experienced with Department of Health Investigations.
At the Health Law Firm we provide legal services for all health care providers and professionals. This includes physicians, nurses, dentists, psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health counselors, Durable Medical Equipment (DME) suppliers, medical students and interns, chiropractors, hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, pain management clinics, nursing homes and any other health care provider
Our attorneys provide legal representation in Department of Health (DOH) investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigations and other types of investigations of health professionals and providers.
To contact The Health Law Firm, please call (407) 331-6620 or (850) 439-1001 and visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com.
Comments?
Do you update and maintain your online practitioner profile? Have you ever noticed any misreported information on your profile? Please leave any thoughtful comments below.
About the Authors: Lance O. Leider is an attorney with The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice. Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida, area. www.TheHealthLawFirm.com The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Avenue, Altamonte Springs, Florida 32714, Phone: (407) 331-6620.
George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law. He is the President and Managing Partner of The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice. Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida, area. www.TheHealthLawFirm.com The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone: (407) 331-6620.
“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.
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