Traveling Nurses Must Have Appropriate Professional Liability Insurance

8 Indest-2008-5By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

We are often asked what we consider to be the biggest problem that a nurse has in defending herself in a complaint against her license.  In our opinion, it is not having the financial resources to retain the services of an experienced attorney to defend her.  Because of this, we believe that any nurse, especially traveling nurses working at a hospital, skilled nursing facility, home health agency, assisted living facility, medical group, or any other organization must have her own personal professional liability policy that provides ample insurance coverage for professional license defense expenses.

Most Complaints Made Against Nurses are Filed by Employers.

In our experience, most of the complaints filed against nurse professionals come from employers.  In many cases, a patient will complain to […]

By |2024-03-14T10:01:58-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Board of Nursing, Defense, Department of Health, Discipline, Insurance, Nurse License|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |3 Comments
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Advice for Nurses Regarding Department of Health Investigations

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

We see and hear about a lot of incorrect legal advice being given to nurses regarding what they should do if they are being investigated.

The incorrect advice being given even includes mailings they may have received containing a brochure “What Every Nurse Needs to Know” published by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. It gives advice in response to the question: “What should you do if you are the subject of a complaint?” It advises the nurse to contact the Board of Nursing (BON) immediately in such an event and states that the complaint will be handled in a “fair and appropriate matter.” It advises that a BON representative will describe the investigation process and answer any questions that you may have about an investigation if a complaint is filed against you.

This […]

By |2024-03-14T10:01:54-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Administrative Complaints, Administrative Hearing, Board of Nursing, CRNA, Defense, Department of Health, Discipline, Insurance, Malpractice|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on Advice for Nurses Regarding Department of Health Investigations
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Please, Please, Please Do NOT Talk to the Department of Health (DOH) Investigator

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

Whether you are a nurse, physician, pharmacist or dentist, I beseech you: please do not talk to a Department of Health (DOH) investigator until you have talked to a health lawyer who is experienced with DOH investigations and board licensing complaints.  Do not answer or respond to even the most basic questions about where you work now, what your address is or if you know patient x, until consulting with counsel.

Admitting to the Simplest Facts May Harm You.

We are routinely consulted by nursing professionals and other healthcare providers for representation after they have discussed the case and after it is too late to undo the damage they have caused to themselves.  Often they do not understand the seriousness of the matter or the possible […]

By |2024-03-14T10:01:54-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Board of Nursing, Defense, Department of Health, Nurse License|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on Please, Please, Please Do NOT Talk to the Department of Health (DOH) Investigator
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Your Professional Nursing License May Be Your Most Valuable Asset; Insure It!

5 Indest-2008-2By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Suppose you had an item that you really wanted but was very expensive.  Suppose this item cost you $80,000.  Perhaps you took out a loan in order to pay for the item.

Suppose in addition to paying $80,000 you also had to work for four years and contribute four years of your labor to help pay for the item.  For this example, let’s assume your four years of labor is equivalent to an additional $80,000.  Once you can afford the item, you will have invested the equivalent of $160,000 for it.

In order to protect this expensive item, would you insure it?  If this item produced additional income for you, would you insure it?  After considering the price tag of the item, and knowing you […]

By |2024-03-14T10:01:59-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Administrative Complaints, ARNP, Board of Nursing, Defense, Discipline, Insurance, Nurse License, Nurse Practitioner, Nurses Service Organization, Professional liability insurance|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment
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Florida Registered Nurses Finalize Union Agreement with HCA

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

Registered nurses at ten HCA hospitals in Florida have reached a collective bargaining agreement with the hospital chain. After negotiating for over a year, National Nurses United–a union for registered nurses–announced that it finalized the agreement with HCA on May 7, 2012.

The agreement affects over 3,000 Florida registered nurses at HCA hospitals. It will be effective for three years.

According to National Nurses United, Florida HCA management has agreed to establish a committee of elected nurses at each hospital to make recommendations on improving patient care. The contract also protects nurses against forced overtime and provides for a new wage system based on experience.

Milestone for Florida Nurses.

This collective bargaining agreement is a milestone for Florida nurses. It provides some degree of security and assurances of fairness to nurses before they can be terminated. Internal grievance […]

By |2024-03-14T10:01:55-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Defense, Discipline, Malpractice, Nurse License|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on Florida Registered Nurses Finalize Union Agreement with HCA
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Crack Down on Unlicensed Practice of Nursing by Florida Department of Health

5 Indest-2008-2By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida in Health Law

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) recently made a presentation regarding its increased investigation and prosecution of the unlicensed practice of nursing and other health professions. More resources and more investigators are being assigned to this duty.

The Department of Health has more than doubled the investigators in the Unlicensed Activity Unit from seven investigators to nineteen recently. This dramatic increase in resources and staff has resulted in the investigation of more complaints than ever regarding unlicensed practice of nursing.


Weapon of Choice in This Battle: Trust Funds.

Florida has a dedicated trust fund to combat unlicensed nursing and medical activity. Each nurse or other licensed health professional pays a $5.00 fee at initial licensure and each licensure renewal. These funds are deposited into Florida’s Medical Quality Assurance […]

By |2024-03-14T10:01:59-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: ARNP, Board of Nursing, CRNA, Defense, Department of Health, Discipline, Nurse License, Nurse Practitioner, registered nurse, Unlicensed activity|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment
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Nurses: Don’t Work at an Illegal Health Care Clinic

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

Despite the passage of Florida’s Health Care Clinic Act over nine years ago, there are still many health practices which are violating it. Unfortunately, the violation of the Health Care Clinic Act can have serious repercussions, including conviction of a felony, loss of all fees collected, and disciplinary/licensure action against any nurses or other licensed health professionals working there.

Over the past three years we have seen the following scenarios or ones similar to these (changed factually to ensure anonymity):

Scenario 1: A health care practitioner licensed in Florida decides to sell her practice and retire. Three non-licensed business people decide to form a corporation to purchase and operate the practice. The corporation purchases the medical practice’s assets, including patient records. The corporation has not applied for or received a health care clinic license.

Results: On the day of […]

By |2024-03-14T10:01:55-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Defense, Nurse License|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on Nurses: Don’t Work at an Illegal Health Care Clinic
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“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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