Mental Health Law Blog | The Health Law Firm Blog

Eight Legal Tips If You Are Having Academic, Disciplinary or Legal Problems with Your Residency Program

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

Here are some tips to set the record straight on various inaccurate information I have heard from physicians in medical residency programs in representing them in appeals of disciplinary actions including suspension and terminations.

1. Nothing you tell your Program Director, advisor, mentors, attendings, senior resident, or co-resident is confidential. Go ahead and pour your heart out about all of your problems and concerns, but none of it is confidential, even if you said it was “in confidence.” What is confidential: what you tell your priest or religious adviser (preacher, rabbi, imam) and what you tell your own personal physician or psychotherapist (unless you have signed a waiver) that you have hired and you are paying. Anyone else, it is not confidential. So […]

Three People Charged For Roles in $109 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme, HIPAA Violations

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

In October 2020, Massachusetts federal prosecutors charged three individuals for their alleged roles in a multi-million dollar plot to defraud Medicare. Two individuals allegedly collected patient health data and sold it to the purported mastermind, who then used it to submit $109 million in false Medicare claims.

Both individuals obtaining the personal health information were located in Florida, wouldn’t you know it. Each was charged with one count of receiving more than $1.6 million kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program. Prosecutors charged the third individual with criminal violations of the Health Insurance Portability and […]

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DOJ Charges 345 People Involved in More Than $6 Billion in Fraud, Related to Telemedicine and Opioid Prescriptions

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

In September 2020, federal prosecutors charged 345 doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals allegedly involved in more than $6 billion in healthcare fraud. It is considered the largest Health Care Fraud and Opioid Enforcement Action in the Department of Justice’s history (DOJ). The schemes were related to telemedicine, illegal opioid distribution, and durable medical equipment, the DOJ said.

A National Fraud Operation.

According to the DOJ, the 345 defendants were responsible for submitting false and fraudulent claims that cost more than $6 billion to federal health care programs […]

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Florida Defends Marijuana Law in High-Stakes State Supreme Court Battle

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, in a highly-important case for the medical marijuana industry in Florida, the state defended its regulatory framework before the Florida supreme court. The case focuses on whether Florida has properly carried out a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana for patients. The Florida Department of Health (DOH) argues that there is no conflict between the voter-approved medical marijuana amendment and the state’s caps on providers.

Ongoing Battle in the Courts.

The case primarily centers on a requirement that the Legislature put in the 2017 law about marijuana firms allowed to operate in the state. That requirement says the companies must be able to handle all aspects of the business, including growing, processing, and distributing products. […]

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Florida Department of Health Claims Orchid Nursery Has No Constitutional Protection In Pot Licenses

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law
On August 27, 2020, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) argued to the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals that a Florida nursery can’t claim the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects its right to marijuana licenses. The DOH urged the appellate court to uphold the dismissal of Louis Del Favero Orchids’ suit because, it claimed, the U.S. Constitution doesn’t cover a property interest in a business that is illegal under federal law. This seems to be a rather hypocritical argument in that the counter-question could be “How can the state of Florida issue licenses for or control a business that is illegal under federal law?”

Is the Law Constitutionally Protected?

The would-be medical pot nursery operator has been fighting […]

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Veterans Want Federal Court To Reconsider DEA Marijuana Classification

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

On October 1, 2020, military veterans urged the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) restrictive marijuana classification. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) said in an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief that designating the drug a highly controlled substance has impeded medical research that could save lives.

Marijuana Claimed to Be a “Life-saving Treatment” for Veterans.

IAVA’s brief focused on suicide rates among returning soldiers. The group claimed the current status of marijuana on the drug schedules, listing it as a Schedule I drug, one without any medical use, under federal law inhibits studies to demonstrate its potential in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

According to the IAVA’s brief, the Schedule I status of marijuana […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T09:59:50-04:00January 28, 2021|Categories: Mental Health Law Blog|Tags: board of medicine complaint defense attorney. medical board defense counsel, clinical investigator defense lawyer, clinical research fraud defense lawyer, clinical research fraud investigation lawyer, DEA Order to Show Cause (OTSC) defense lawyer, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) defense attorney, Florida marijuana law attorney, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defense lawyer, health care business application attorney, health law defense attorney, health licensing regulatory attorney, legal representation for marijuana growers, legal representation for medical marijuana distributors, medical licensing regulatory attorney, medical marijuana lawyer, medical marijuana legal representation, medical marijuana regulation attorney, medical researcher defense attorney, representation for clinical research fraud, representation of clinical investigators, representation of medical researchers in clinical investigation fraud, reviews of The Health Law Firm attorneys, state or federal administrative hearing attorney, The Health Law Firm reviews|Comments Off

New Sweeping Privacy Legislation Announced: The SAFE DATA Act

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

On September 17, 2020, Republican members of the Senate Commerce Committee introduced sweeping federal privacy legislation. The proposed law is called the Setting an American Framework to Ensure Data Access, Transparency, and Accountability (SAFE DATA) Act. The Act is a combination of bills previously introduced in the Senate: the Consumer Data Protection Act, Filter Bubble Transparency Act, and the Deceptive Experiences to Online Users Reduction Act. It hasn’t passed, yet, so let’s wait and see.

HAH! You thought you had learned all of the acronyms and abbreviations because you know what HIPAA, HITECH, FERPA, USCDPA, and FOIA mean. Let’s see how long it takes you to remember what this one stands for.

Details of the SAFE DATA Act.

This proposed legislation has three main components if passed into […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T09:59:52-04:00January 13, 2021|Categories: In the Know, In the News, Mental Health Law Blog|Tags: defense of HIPAA complaint investigations, Department of Health (DOH) investigation defense lawyer, Division of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) investigation defense attorney, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act defense lawyer, healthcare compliance lawyer, HIPAA audit defense, HIPAA compliance lawyer, HIPAA privacy regulation defense lawyer, HIPAA violation defense attorney, legal representation for breach of patient confidentiality, legal representation for medical practice audit, OCR HIPAA complaint defense lawyer, OCR HIPAA investigation defense attorney, representation for Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) investigations and hearings, representation for healthcare compliance investigations, representation for healthcare data breach, representation for HIPAA risk assessments, representation for HIPAA security investigations, representation for HIPAA violations, reviews of The Health Law Firm attorneys, the health law firm|Comments Off

Florida Dentist’s COVID-19 Interruption Insurance Claim Dismissed by Judge

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

On September 3, 2020, a Florida federal judge dismissed a suit for business interruption insurance payments by a Florida dentist. The dentist claimed he sustained damages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and related civil authority shutdowns of dental services. The dismissal freed Allied Insurance Company of America from having to pay the dentist’s for COVID-19 related losses, holding that the policy’s “virus exclusion” barred coverage of the insurance claim made.

Insurance Coverage for COVID-19 Related Losses.

The dentist sued his insurance carrier for damages that he argued were “caused by or result[ing] from a Covered Cause of Loss.” The causes of the alleged loss, he maintained, included the COVID-19 virus’s impact on his dental practice and the Florida governor’s emergency declaration […]

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Laws Governing ESAs and Service Animals, Part 3 of 3

By Amanda I. Forbes, J.D.

This is part 3 of 3 in a blog series regarding the differences between Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals. Read part 1 and part 2.

The Fair Housing Act (FHA) is a federal law that “prohibits discrimination in housing because of: race or color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability.” (Emphasis added). It applies to both emotional support animals and service animals. (“emotional illness.”)
Click here to learn more.

In addition, the FHA states it is unlawful to:

[D]iscriminate in the sale or rental, or to otherwise make unavailable or deny, a dwelling to any buyer or renter because of a handicap.

42 U.S.C. Section3604(f)(1).

It also prohibits discrimination:

[A]gainst any person in the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of […]

Emotional Support Animals and Protecting Your License, Pitfalls and Tips, Part 2 of 3

By Amanda I. Forbes, J.D.; and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified in Health Law

This is part 2 of 3 in a blog series regarding Emotional Support Animals (ESA) support letters being prepared by counselors and therapists. There are serious pitfalls that exist for the unwary mental health professional and, in part 1, we provided a number of tips on how to avoid these. Click here to read part 1. Don’t forget to read part 3!

The ACA has identified specific potential risks to animals, clients, the public, and counselors which everyone involved in this area of practice should be familiar with.

Potential Risks to Animals:

1. Neglect or other abuse; poor mental health on the part of the client may prevent adequate animal care […]