Supreme Court Weighs Physician Intent in “Pill Mill” Physician Criminal Prosecutions Under the Controlled Substances Act
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Physicians and other healthcare professionals usually have broad scope to prescribe most drugs, including potentially dangerous ones. However, over the past decade, many limits, often imposed arbitrarily through criminal prosecutions or drastic administrative sanctions, have been used to impose limits. The […]
Former Florida Radiology Group Employee Files Class Action, Alleges Stock Value Plan Scheme
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On April 15, 2022, a participant in a Florida-based radiology chain’s employee stock plan filed a federal lawsuit in Florida, accusing company executives of scheming to drain the plan’s value for their personal benefit. The former employee of Advanced Diagnostic […]
Psychiatric Practice and Owner Pay $310,000 to Resolve Allegations They Employed a Physician on OIG’s LEIE
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On February 23, 2022, a psychiatric practice and its owner agreed to pay $310,874 to resolve allegations they improperly hired and employed a physician who was excluded from federal healthcare programs. The physician who was hired was on the OIG‘s exclusion list, the […]
State Nursing Boards Continue to Delay Licenses Across the U.S. As COVID-19 Pandemic Continues
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Staffing shortages at hospitals across the U.S. are worsening helped along by state boards and other licensing authorities taking months to process nursing licenses, a recent NPR survey claims. As a result, thousands of new nurses who want to help during the […]
Helpful Tips to Avoid Healthcare Fraud Prosecutions
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Physicians who are approached by non-physicians seeking to entice them into business ventures that make money quickly, should be very leery. If the business venture offers good financial compensation for little or no work, RUN! Most often those involved in criminal […]
Ten Defendants in Florida Indicted For Role in $67 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme Involving Genetic Testing
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On February 28, 2022, ten (10) Florida residents were charged in an indictment in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida for their alleged roles in a $67 million health care fraud, wire fraud, kickback, and money laundering scheme. […]
Coronavirus Pandemic Provider Relief Fund Expected To Run Out of Money If Congress Doesn’t Act Soon
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law In 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) created the “Provider Relief Fund” (PRF) to help support healthcare providers in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal program has served as a lifeline to frontline healthcare workers who’ve […]