impersonating a health care provider

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

A Kissimmee, Florida, man was arrested on December 18, 2013, on charges that he has been allegedly performing liposuction without a medical license in a Central Florida clinic. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) began investigating the phony surgeon about a year ago, after Florida Department of Health (DOH) received a complaint about the clinic in which the phony doctor worked. The clinic was called “Sculptural Orlando.”

Click here to read the article from the Orlando Sentinel.

Investigators Looking for More Victims.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, it is alleged the fake surgeon has been performing illegal liposuction surgeries for about a year and telling his patients he was a licensed medical doctor.

After further investigation, MBI agents discovered the clinic was licensed as a massage establishment and the fake surgeon did not hold a valid medical license in Florida. Several MBI agents visited the clinic undercover, posing as potential customers. The agents allege the fake surgeon performed evaluations on them and showed them before-and-after photos of his patients.

The DOH is still looking for victims or tips related to the fake surgeon and any unlicensed activity at the clinic.

Practicing Without a License Is a Crime.

This is by no means the first report we’ve heard of phony health care professionals operating on patients or injecting people with toxic chemicals. For some reason, Florida seems to get more than its fair share of these.

Practicing medicine without a license is a crime. Additionally, so is helping someone practice medicine without a license. As a licensed healthcare practitioner, you may be asked to supervise others or participate in a clinic or practice as a “medical director,” supervisor, or monitor. Remember that your license may be at stake with any wrongdoing by those subordinates under your supervision. Before you join a practice or agree to supervise others, check first with the DOH that the other providers have legitimate, active licenses. You can verify a license for free on the DOH’s website.

Also, remember that a license to practice medicine in Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico or anywhere else, is just that: a license to practice in that country. It does not allow a person to practice medicine in the United States or Florida. A license from the State of Florida is required to practice in Florida, except for certain military and government-employed physicians. Always check a physician’s license.

Additionally, a medical clinic that is not owned 100% by a licensed physician, podiatrist, chiropractor, physical therapist or nurse practitioner (or a few other specified medical professions) must have a separate Health Care Clinic License (HCCL) that is issued by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).

We have been consulted by many professionals who have found themselves caught working in illegal clinics. For example, a medical clinic cannot be owned by a deceased physician’s spouse who is not a licensed health professional, unless it has a HCCL. A clinic cannot be owned 50% by a CPA and 50% by a doctor, unless it has a separate HCCL. A dental clinic cannot be owned 20% by a non-dentist and 80% by a dentist; this is illegal and even a HCCL will not make it legal.

Always check out the credentials of a clinic, and its owners before you accept a job there or before you seek treatment there.

More Stories on Fake Physicians and Other Phony and Fraudulent Professionals to Come.

On this blog we will include additional articles on fake doctors and health care professionals, similar to those we have published in the past.

To see a blog on a fake dentist in Miami, click here. You can also read the story of a fake plastic surgeon in New York by clicking here. To read the story of a fake doctor in Texas accused of injecting patients with silicone instead of Botox, click here.

Contact Health Law Attorneys Experienced with Investigations of Health Professionals and Providers.

The attorneys of The Health Law Firm provide legal representation to physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, CRNAs, dentists, pharmacists, psychologists and other health providers in Department of Health (DOH) investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigations, FBI investigations, Medicare investigations, Medicaid investigations and other types of investigations of health professionals and providers.

To contact The Health Law Firm, please call (407) 331-6620 or (850) 439-1001 and visit our website at http://www.TheHealthLawFirm.com.

Comments?

What do you think of all of these news stories of phony health care professionals? Please leave any thoughtful comments below.

Sources:

Pavuk, Amy. “Man Accused of Performing Illegal Liposcutions.” Orlando Sentinel. (December 19, 2013). From: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-liposuction-without-license-arrest-20131219,0,7677863.story

About the Author: George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law. He is the President and Managing Partner of The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice. Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida, area. http://www.TheHealthLawFirm.com The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone: (407) 331-6620

“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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