Phony Florida Nursing Diploma Scam: Federal Criminal Indictments in “Operation Nightingale”
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law In January 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the prosecution of a massive fake nursing diploma scheme against three Florida-based nursing schools. The investigation has now expanded to include at least eight (8) nursing schools. The […]
25 Charged in Massive Fake Nursing Diploma Scheme in Florida
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On January 25, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) launched a multi-state coordinated law enforcement action to apprehend individuals engaged in a scheme to sell false and fraudulent nursing degree […]
Feds Charge 25 Individuals in Massive Fake Nursing Diploma Scheme in Florida
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On January 25, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) launched a multi-state coordinated law enforcement action to apprehend individuals engaged in a scheme to sell false and fraudulent nursing degree […]
University of Colorado Sued For Denying COVID-19 Vaccine Religious Exemptions
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On September 29, 2021, a pediatrician and medical student sued the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (CU) for denying COVID vaccine religious exemptions. The U.S. District Court lawsuit argued that school administrators judge the validity of personal […]
List of Florida Nursing Schools Issuing Phony Diplomas in Operation Nightingale Increases to 19
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law A recent announcement by the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission (NCQAC), now known as the Washington State Board of Nursing, has listed 19 Florida schools that it states are or were involved in the fraudulent scheme […]
HHS Announces Voluntary Resolution Agreement With University Of Southern California Medical School to Settle Sex Discrimination Complaints
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On June 15, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and the University of Southern California (USC), along with its medical enterprise, Keck Medicine of USC (KMUSC), entered into a […]
How an American Board of Internal Medicine Policy is Robbing America of Qualified Physicians
By Achal A. Aggarwal, M.B.A., J.D. In July 2012, the American Board of Internal Medicine (“ABIM”) implemented a policy change placing limits on how long a physician could be considered “board eligible.” This policy nearly ended the ability of many otherwise qualified physicians to become certified in internal medicine. In many cases, this also caused […]
New Campus Sexual Assault Rules Strengthen Rights of the Accused Student in School Hearings
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On May 6, 2020, the U.S. Education Department finalized a new policy that will reshape the way schools and universities respond to sexual misconduct complaints. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos issued rules to strengthen the rights of accused students, […]
Did You Lose Your ABIM Board Eligible Credentials?
We have been contacted by numerous physicians who had completed residency programs in internal medicine and only recently discovered that their time has now expired to become board certified. ABIM considers internal medicine and subspecialist physicians who had met the standards for Board Certification in general internal medicine or any subspecialties to be “Board Eligible” […]
FL May Allow Providers to Avoid Past Mental-Health Conditions, Drug Issues on License Applications
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Health care professionals ask patients about their medical histories every day for in treating them. But what happens when they are requested to divulge in their own history to the state as part of the licensing process? Before […]
The Most Common Cases The Health Law Firm Takes
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law One of the most common questions we get asked by doctors and lawyers alike, is about the types of cases our firm takes. They often mistake the practice of health law as medical malpractice defense. However, this is […]
Medical Students, Interns & Residents Beware: A Finding of “Irregular Behavior” Can Ruin Your Medical Career Before it Starts
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law A medical student, intern or resident may receive a letter from the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), United States Medical Licensee Examination (USMLE) Secretariat advising them that they are suspected of “irregular behavior” on a Step examination. […]
Recommendations For Physicians Who Receive Notice of Investigation From the ABIM
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law In 2010, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) sanctioned 139 physicians for seeking out and sharing board examination questions with a testing preparation company. For the physicians involved in that cheating scandal, disciplinary action taken by the […]
Accused of Irregular Behavior on the USMLE? Here’s What You Need to Know
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law At The Health Law Firm, we frequently receive calls for consultations from medical students and medical school graduates who receive a letter from the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), concerning the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). […]
Florida Department of Health and Law Enforcement Investigate School Providing Nurse Practitioner Courses
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law A subpoena purportedly issued by the Clerk of Court for Seminole County, Florida, recently requested academic records on advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) students, including preceptorship agreements for clinical courses they had taken. A follow-up inquiry revealed that […]
Rutgers University Faces Lawsuit Over Anesthesia Residency Program Head’s Alleged Sexual Harassment
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On May 8, 2017, Rutgers University was hit with a lawsuit in New Jersey state court from former and current school employees. The suit alleges that the university failed to prevent, stop and remedy sexual harassment and retaliation […]
Medical Students, Residents and Fellows Need to Properly Disclose Medical Disabilities in advance of problems
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law We are often retained to provide legal representation to medical school students, residents and fellows who run into difficulties and have disputes with their medical schools or programs. This may be after they are required to repeat a […]