The DEA’s War on Pain Management
Within the last few years, raids on pain management clinics, as well as pharmacies, have been increasingly commonplace. The doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other health care professionals involved are carted away in handcuffs and must defend their practice. According to the St. Petersburg Times, a South Florida pain management clinic has recently been shut down […]
Are You Working at an Illegal Health Care Clinic?
Despite the passage of Florida’s Health Care Clinic Act over nine years ago, there are apparently still many health practices which are violating it. Unfortunately, the violation of the Health Care Clinic Act can have extremely serious repercussions, including conviction of a felony, loss of all fees collected, and disciplinary/licensure action against any physicians, nurses […]
New Popular Drug Called “Smiles” Outlawed in Florida – Zombie Attacks Still a Threat!
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law In previous blogs we’ve mentioned that Florida Governor Rick Scott signed House Bill 1175 on March 23, 2012. This bill outlawed more than 90 new forms of synthetic drugs and included bath salts, among others. It modifies Section […]
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 […]
22 New Synthetic Drugs Outlawed in Florida: Citizens Keep an Eye Out for Zombies
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On December 11, 2012, Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi filed an emergency rule outlawing 22 new synthetic drugs, commonly known as “bath salts,” “K2,” and “Spice.” This emergency rule modifies Section 893.03(1)(c), Florida Statutes, by expanding the list […]
Poll Shows Majority Supports the Legalization of Marijuana
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law For the first time in four decades, a majority of Americans support the legalization of marijuana, according to a national survey conducted by Pew Research. The results from the survey, released on April 4, 2013, show fifty-two percent […]
Miami “Rock Doc” Arrested on Medicare Fraud Charges
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law An osteopathic physician in Miami, Florida, dubbed the “Rock Doc,” was arrested on September 30, 2013. He is charged with twelve (12) counts of health care fraud, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The “Rock Doc” is […]
Two Laptops Containing Information of 729,000 Patients Stolen from California Hospital Group
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The personal health information of around 729,000 patients has been compromised following the theft of two laptops. The password-protected computers were taken from an administration building of AHMC Healthcare Inc., a hospital group in Alhambra, California. According to […]
Florida Doctor, Clinic Owner Charged With Drug Trafficking in Orlando Area
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law An Orlando based pain clinic that had patients from the panhandle to Miami has come under investigation according to Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation agents. The owner of the clinic, A Stop Pain Management, as well as it’s doctor […]
CMS Issues Conditions of Participation for Community Mental Health Centers
By Lance O. Leider, J.D., The Health Law Firm On October 28, 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a Final Rule establishing conditions of participation (CoPs) for Medicare-certified community mental health centers (CMHCs). The Final Rule is CMS 3202-F. These conditions are the health and safety regulations Medicare providers must meet […]
Doctor Indicted In Home Health Medicaid Fraud Suit Hit With 3-Year Prison Sentence
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On December 7, 2016, Banio Koroma was convicted in a northern Illinois court of falsely certifying elderly patients for in-home care will spend the next three years in prison and be forced to reimburse the government for the […]
The Fight for Medical Marijuana Lights Up in Florida and Across the U.S.
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The fight to legalize medical marijuana seems to be spreading across the country. In Florida, a medical marijuana group said it cleared the first major hurdle to get a proposed constitutional amendment for medical marijuana on the 2014 […]
President of Miami-Based Medical Transportation Company Convicted For His Role in $70M Health Care Fraud Scheme
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On Friday, a Florida federal jury convicted the president of a Miami-based transportation company of helping coordinate the payment of illegal kickbacks in a $70 million health care fraud scheme. The scheme involved three Miami mental health facilities. […]
Florida Senate Delays Broadening Baker Act Powers for Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants-Calls for a Study
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Florida’s nurse practitioners and physician assistants were hopeful the Senate would vote to allow them to have the authority to order the involuntary commitment of a patient for mental-health evaluation under the Baker Act. However, instead on April […]