Suspected Florida Pill Mills Continue to Attract Investigations

According to the Orlando Sentinel, some of the worst alleged pill mills in Florida are located in Orlando. At a small pain clinic near downtown Orlando and an affiliated office, one doctor prescribed more oxycodone during a three-month period in 2010 than all doctors in the state of California combined. Details about the clinic from former employees span a nearly 200-page affidavit filed in Orange County Circuit Court in the racketeering case against doctors and management of this pain clinic. The documents offer a rare glimpse inside the investigation.

In this case, agents examined bank records, Crimeline tips and records from the Medical Examiner’s Office. Additionally, FDLE and Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation agents gathered prescribing data from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, pulled state corporation filings and viewed Department of Health records. Agents obtained the prescribing histories for 75 patients who got their drugs at Walgreens and found that 64 had criminal records. Of those, 42 have been arrested for drug-related crimes.

In addition to exploring paper trails, agents and investigators employed more-traditional law enforcement tactics, including undercover investigations. Posed as patients, undercover MBI agents were prescribed painkillers with little or no medical assessment. While waiting for their turns to see the doctors in the clinics, they overheard patients in the lobby talk about selling drugs.

Undercover agents said there were other indications that this pain clinic was a pill mill. There were long lines outside; armed security guards; and signs that warned patients they needed to bring empty pill bottles and posted what medications were available and a price list for the pills. The pain clinics were a cash business. Insurance was not accepted, and employees told agents the price per visit ranged from $160 to $350.

The original target of this investigation was one of the doctors at the pain clinic, but as agents gathered intelligence, it became clear they needed to learn more about the owners and management.

According to the investigation, the management recruited doctors to work at the clinics, but court documents show they had a problem retaining them. A man who used to work at a nearby business told agents that one of the owners complained to him that doctors were quitting and suggested he would hire the man to pretend to be a doctor at the clinic. 

The investigation of this pain clinic resulted in the arrest of the owners and doctor involved in allegedly overprescribing narcotics. As federal, state, and local agencies continue their mission to eradicate pill mills, more pain clinics will be involved in investigations.

If you are concerned about your pain clinic, or if you are a doctor practicing pain management at a pain clinic, please call us today at (407) 331-6620 or (850) 439-1001.

By |2024-03-14T10:00:28-04:00June 1, 2018|Categories: In the News, Pain Management, Pharmacy, The Health Law Firm Blog|Tags: , , , , , |Comments Off on Suspected Florida Pill Mills Continue to Attract Investigations
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The DEA Attacks Legitimate Pharmaceutical Distributors, Starting with CVS Pharmacy and Cardinal Health

Earlier in February 2012, the DEA accused both CVS Pharmacy, one of the nation’s largest drug store chains, and Cardinal Health, one of the nation’s largest legitimate distributors of pharmaceuticals, of endangering the public by selling excessive amounts of oxycodone to four Florida pharmacies. For Cardinal Health, the charges came in an immediate suspension order served Feb. 3, 2012, when the DEA suspended Cardinal’s license to distribute controlled substances from its Lakeland, Florida location, which serves four states, according to USA Today. Lakeland is located between Orlando and Tampa.

Cardinal immediately challenged the suspension in federal court denying the charges. The DEA’s suspension was temporarily lifted and a hearing was scheduled in the federal district court in Washington, D.C. In preparation for the hearing, the DEA and Cardinal filed hundreds of pages of documents that provide a look into how prescription painkillers have infiltrated the black market. We are attempting to obtain copies of some of these so that we can share them with other interested attorneys and individuals.

As reported in various media sources, the investigation into Cardinal’s operation began after a Cardinal investigator became aware of a rumor that a local pharmacy was selling oxycodone by the pill for cash. This Florida pharmacy was reported to be one of Cardinal’s biggest customers.

Over the next two years, Cardinal employees allegedly visited the same pharmacy at least four more times. Each time, they noted the following suspicious signs: Customers paid cash, oxycodone was the top seller, and young people came into the pharmacy in groups to have their prescriptions filled. The pharmacy allegedly dispensed 462,776 oxycodone pills over a two month period — which is what the DEA states is approximately seven times what the average pharmacy dispenses in a year. Additionally the pharmacy allegedly asked Cardinal for more. Cardinal filled the order for more oxycodone but terminated the pharmacy as a customer.

By the time Cardinal cut the pharmacy off in October 2011, police had arrested at least three doctors who were associated with or had their patients’ prescriptions filled at the pharmacy.  Law enforcement officials charged them with trafficking in oxycodone, racketeering and over-prescribing narcotics.

Then, in early February 2012, the DEA reportedly suspended the DEA registrations (sometimes called “DEA numbers” or “DEA licenses”) of four of Cardinal’s largest Florida customers. These suspensions demonstrate the DEA’s strategy to combat the country’s prescription drug abuse problem at the highest levels, regardless of the size or reputation of the company. After years of attacking doctors who dispense drugs from pain clinics, DEA agents are now targeting the legitimate pharmaceutical distributers — the top of the legitimate drug supply chain.

The number of overdose deaths involving prescription pain medications allegedly now exceeds deaths from heroin and cocaine combined, which motivates state and federal agents to be more aggressive in fighting against misuse of drugs.

Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, the DEA regulates every link in the supply chain for controlled substances such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, including manufacturers, distributors, doctors and pharmacies. According to the DEA, approximately 1.4 million entities have DEA registrations to handle controlled pharmaceuticals. The law requires pharmaceutical distributors, like Cardinal Health, to have systems to detect suspicious orders, which must then be reported to the DEA.  Additionally, federal regulations require that any thefts, losses or shortages of controlled medications be reported to the DEA.

In court documents filed in response to Cardinal’s challenge, the DEA said Cardinal ignored “red flags” raised to detect suspicious orders. However, Cardinal argues that volume alone is not enough to determine whether a pharmacy is diverting the drugs, because it does not account for a pharmacy’s location, the age and health of the population, and the proximity to hospitals, nursing homes and cancer centers.

The DEA routinely cites the volumes of drugs a pharmacy fills or the numbers of tablets of a certain type of medication for which a doctor writes prescriptions.  This is also a factor the DEA uses in cases we have seen where it seeks to suspend or revoke the DEA registrations of physicians and pharmacies in administrative cases.  However, some judges have expressed a reluctance to admit such “bean counting” or naked numbers as being irrelevant, when not supported by testimony or evidence placing the numbers into context with other factors, such as the physician’s practice, patient mix, standards of treatment, severity of illness, etc.

In the federal court case now pending, Cardinal has stated in papers filed that it has a “robust” detection system and has cut off more than 330 pharmacies, including 140 pharmacies located in Florida, over the past four years that it decided posed an unreasonable risk of diversion.

In a news article posted late on February 29, 2012, the Associated Press advised that federal Judge Reggie Walton had ruled against Cardinal Health earlier in the day.  Apparently Cardinal Health had originally obtained a “stay” (sometimes referred to as a “temporary restraining order” or “temporary injunction”) against the DEA’s suspension order.  However, after a hearing held on February 29 in which Cardinal Health sought an injunction against the DEA’s enforcement of its suspension, Judge Walton announced a decision form the bench.  He reportedly refused to grant Cardinal Health an injunction against the DEA, apparently agreeing with the DEA’s position.

This battle between Cardinal Health and the DEA is an important one as it demonstrates the DEA continued efforts to attempt to exert more control over pain clinics, pain management physicians, pharmacists, pharmacies, and now, pharmaceutical distributors. If you believe that the DEA is investigating you, your facility, your company or if you want to learn more about the legal implications of pain management, visit our website to learn more.

Sources for this article included; the Orlando Sentinel, Boston Globe, Associated Press, USA Today and Florida Today.

By |2024-03-14T10:00:28-04:00June 1, 2018|Categories: In the News, Pain Management, Pharmacy, The Health Law Firm Blog|Tags: , , , , , , , |1 Comment
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Appealing Final Orders and Emergency Suspension Orders (ESOs)

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

George F. Indest III, Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

The professional boards for licensed health professionals in Florida, such as the Board of Nursing, are all under the Florida Department of Health (DOH).  Each board is responsible for disciplinary actions and other matters regulating the professions under its authority.  The investigators and attorneys assigned for Board of Nursing matters all work for or are assigned to the DOH.  The Florida DOH is headed up by the Florida Surgeon General.  I think of the DOH as the umbrella agency over the professional boards or as a parent corporation which owns many subsidiary corporations.

Administrative Procedures Governing Investigations and Disciplinary Actions

All agency actions, especially disciplinary actions and investigations, are governed by the Florida Administrative Procedure Act (APA), Chapter 120, Florida Statutes.  The Florida APA is modeled after the Federal Administrative Procedure Act.  However, in addition to the Florida APA, DOH investigations and hearings may also be governed by several different provisions of Chapter 456, Florida Statutes, a set of laws which govern all licensed health professionals.

For example, Section 456.073, Florida Statutes, gives certain procedural steps that must be followed in investigations and probable cause hearings involving complaints against nurses and other health professionals.  Section 456.073(13), Florida Statutes, is a new section added several years ago that provides a six (6) year “statute of limitations” for many disciplinary matters;  but there are many exceptions to this.

Section 456.074, Florida Statutes, gives the Surgeon General the authority to issue emergency suspension orders (or “ESOs”) in certain cases.  Section 456.076, Florida Statutes, authorizes the establishment of treatment programs for impaired health professionals and offers some alternatives to disciplinary action.  To date, the only recognized programs are the Intervention Project for Nurses (IPN) (which covers all nursing professionals) and the Professionals Resource Network (PRN) (which covers almost all other health professionals).  Section 456.077, Florida Statutes, authorizes nondisciplinary citations for certain offenses.  Section 456.078, Florida Statutes, authorizes mediation for certain offenses.

Mistaken Advice Regarding Appeals

We are often consulted by nurses after they have an emergency suspension orders (or ESOs) entered against them or after they have a Final Order for disciplinary action entered against them.  We often hear that they consulted an attorney who advised them at an earlier stage of the proceedings to not worry about putting together and presenting a defense or disputing the charges at a formal administrative hearing.  We are told that they have been mistakenly advised that they should just wait and file an appeal because they are more likely to win on appeal.

This is, of course, incorrect advice.  If you compare these proceedings to criminal investigations, would any competent attorney advise you to not worry about preparing for a trial or contesting the charges at a trial?  Would any competent attorney advise you to just wait until you are convicted, because you could then file an appeal?  No, of course not.  This is because appeals are based on legal defects in the proceedings and do not involve any presentation of new facts that are not already in the record.  Additionally, very few cases are reversed on appeal, whether criminal, civil or administrative in nature.  So why give up your best shots at winning a case:  presenting a good case of factual information and documents at the investigation level or disputing the charges at a formal hearing?

Don’t Try to Be Your Own Attorney on an Appellate Matter

There are, of course, many valid legal grounds for appeals of emergency suspension orders (ESOs) and Final Orders.  However, you have to understand the law and the procedural rules that govern such matters in order to be able to identify them and argue them on appeal.  In addition, appellate law is a legal specialty of its own.  If you are not familiar with researching case law and writing legal briefs, you should not be attempting to appeal your own case.  Would you attempt to perform brain surgery on yourself?  If so, you should get your head examined.  The courts of appeal are far more exacting in their requirements than trial courts are. See The Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure.  However, most Florida courts of appeal also have their own local rules which may apply to appeals.

Grounds for appeal of an Emergency Suspension Order (ESO) include that less restrictive means of protecting the public were available or that the conduct alleged does not meet the legal requirement for imposing such a suspension.  Grounds for appeal of a Final Order include that the punishment it gives exceeds the disciplinary guidelines that each board has and that proper procedures were not followed which deprived the respondent of his or her right to a fair hearing.  There are many other grounds which one who practices regularly before the Board will be able to identify and raise in an appeal.

Where to Appeal May Be an Issue

The notice of appeal must be filed with the clerk of the DOH.  However, a copy must also be filed with the appropriate appellate court having jurisdiction.  The First District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee will have jurisdiction in almost all DOH and Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) appeals.  However, the District Court of Appeal which has jurisdiction over the county in which the respondent health professional resides will also have jurisdiction.  If the appellate case law of one of these is more favorable than the other, from a strategic viewpoint, it may be better to file in the one with the more favorable case law.

Alternative Actions to an Appeal May be Appropriate

Furthermore, there may be more effective and less expensive methods of obtaining relief from an emergency suspension orders (ESOs) or Final Order than an appeal.  If you are subject to an emergency suspension orders (ESOs), you have the right to an expedited hearing.  Sometimes this will result in quicker relief than appealing it.  If you are subject to a Final Order that has been issued in error or there was some mistake in the proceedings that led up to it, the Board may be inclined to reconsider the matter and amend it.

Always Carry Professional Liability Insurance that Includes Licensure Defense Coverage

We continue to recommend that all nursing personnel, especially those who work in hospitals, nursing homes or for agencies, carry your own professional liability insurance.  If you do purchase insurance, make sure it has professional license defense coverage that will pay for your legal defense in the event a complaint is filed against your nursing license.  Usually coverage of up to $25,000 comes with most good nursing liability policies.  There are many companies that sell such insurance for as little as $150 per year.  However, if you can get additional coverage, $50,000 is more likely to cover any foreseeable investigations, hearings and appeals.

Seek Legal Advice and Prepare Your Defenses Early

Always seek legal advice as soon as you suspect there may be a complaint of any kind or an investigation of any kind.  Don’t hide your head in the sand and think that the investigation could not possibly be about you.  Talk to an attorney before you talk to anyone else.  A good attorney will help to save you from making mistakes that could compromise a good legal defense.

Call now or visit our website www.TheHealthLawFirm.com. to set up a consultation on any of the above issues.

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.  www.TheHealthLawFirm.com  The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone:  (407) 331-6620.

Disclaimer:  This article is for general information and education purposes only and must not be regarded as legal advice.

Copyright © George F. Indest III, Altamonte Springs, Florida, all rights reserved.  No part of this article may be reproduced or used without the permission of the author and owner.

By |2024-03-14T10:01:04-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Administrative Complaints, Administrative Hearing, Board of Nursing, Defense, Department of Health, Emergency Suspension Order, Nurse License|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on Appealing Final Orders and Emergency Suspension Orders (ESOs)
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Appealing Final Orders and Emergency Suspension Orders (ESOs) from the Florida Board of Nursing

indest1By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

The professional boards for licensed health professionals in Florida, such as the Board of Nursing, are all under the Florida Department of Health (DOH).  Each board is responsible for disciplinary actions and other matters regulating the professions under its authority.  The investigators and attorneys assigned for Board of Nursing matters all work for or are assigned to the DOH.  The Florida DOH is headed up by the Florida Surgeon General.  I think of the DOH as the umbrella agency over the professional boards or as a parent corporation which owns many subsidiary corporations.

Administrative Procedures Governing Investigations and Disciplinary Actions.

All agency actions, especially disciplinary actions and investigations, are governed by the Florida Administrative Procedure Act (APA), Chapter 120, Florida Statutes.  The Florida APA is modeled after the Federal Administrative Procedure Act.  However, in addition to the Florida APA, DOH investigations and hearings may also be governed by several different provisions of Chapter 456, Florida Statutes, a set of laws which govern all licensed health professionals.

For example, Section 456.073, Florida Statutes, gives certain procedural steps that must be followed in investigations and probable cause hearings involving complaints against nurses and other health professionals.  Section 456.073(13), Florida Statutes, is a new section added several years ago that provides a six (6) year “statute of limitations” for many disciplinary matters;  but there are many exceptions to this.

Section 456.074, Florida Statutes, gives the Surgeon General the authority to issue emergency suspension orders (or ESOs) in certain cases.  Section 456.076, Florida Statutes, authorizes the establishment of treatment programs for impaired health professionals and offers some alternatives to disciplinary action.  To date, the only recognized programs are the Intervention Project for Nurses (IPN) (which covers all nursing professionals) and the Professionals Resource Network (PRN) (which covers almost all other health professionals).  Section 456.077, Florida Statutes, authorizes nondisciplinary citations for certain offenses.  Section 456.078, Florida Statutes, authorizes mediation for certain offenses.

Mistaken Advice Regarding Appeals.

We are often consulted by nurses after they have an emergency suspension orders (or ESOs) entered against them or after they have a Final Order for disciplinary action entered against them.  We often hear that they consulted an attorney who advised them at an earlier stage of the proceedings, after they received a letter from a DOH investigator advising that they were being investigated, to not worry about putting together or presenting any defense at that stage.  We often hear that they consulted an attorney who advised them not to dispute the charges at a formal administrative hearing or not to request a formal administrative hearing.  We are told that they have been mistakenly advised that they should just wait and file an appeal because they are more likely to win on appeal.

This is, of course, incorrect advice.  If you compare these proceedings to criminal investigations, would any competent attorney advise you to not worry about preparing for a trial or contesting the charges at a trial?  Would any competent attorney advise you to just wait until you are convicted, because you could then file an appeal?  No, of course not.  This is because appeals are based on legal defects in the proceedings and do not involve any presentation of new facts that are not already in the record.  Additionally, very few cases are reversed on appeal, whether criminal, civil or administrative in nature.  So why give up your best shots at winning a case:  presenting a good case of factual information and documents at the investigation level or disputing the charges at a formal hearing?

Don’t Try to Be Your Own Attorney on an Appellate Matter.

There are, of course, many valid legal grounds for appeals of ESOs and Final Orders.  However, you have to understand the law and the procedural rules that govern such matters in order to be able to identify them and argue them on appeal.  In addition, appellate law is a legal specialty of its own.  If you are not familiar with researching case law and writing legal briefs, you should not be attempting to appeal your own case.  Would you attempt to perform brain surgery on yourself?  If so, you should get your head examined.  The courts of appeal are far more exacting in their requirements than trial courts are.  See The Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure.  However, most Florida courts of appeal also have their own local rules which may apply to appeals.

Grounds for appeal of an ESO include that less restrictive means of protecting the public were available or that the conduct alleged does not meet the legal requirement for imposing such a suspension.  Grounds for appeal of a Final Order include that the punishment it gives exceeds the disciplinary guidelines that each board has and that proper procedures were not followed which deprived the respondent of his or her right to a fair hearing.  There are many other grounds which one who practices regularly before the Board will be able to identify and raise in an appeal.

In many cases, it would be completely useless to appeal an ESO.  You would just waste time and money by doing so, with little or no chance to win or have it reversed.  You might be far better off requesting an expedited formal hearing, to which you are entitled in an emergency suspension case, and get your case heard as soon as possible.  You need the advice and guidance of an experienced attorney to help you figure out what the best course of action is in your case.

Where to Appeal May Be an Issue.

The notice of appeal must be filed with the clerk of the DOH.  However, a copy must also be filed with the appropriate appellate court having jurisdiction.  The First District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee will have jurisdiction in almost all DOH and Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) appeals.  However, the District Court of Appeal which has jurisdiction over the county in which the respondent health professional resides will also have jurisdiction.  If the appellate case law of one of these is more favorable than the other, from a strategic viewpoint, it may be better to file in the one with the more favorable case law.

Alternative Actions to an Appeal May be Appropriate.

Furthermore, there may be more effective and less expensive methods of obtaining relief from an ESO or Final Order than an appeal.  If you are subject to an ESO, you have the right to an expedited hearing.  Sometimes this will result in quicker relief than appealing it.  If you are subject to a Final Order that has been issued in error or there was some mistake in the proceedings that led up to it, the Board may be inclined to reconsider the matter and amend it.  This would require you to file a motion for reconsideration with the Board itself.

Always Carry Professional Liability Insurance that Includes Licensure Defense Coverage.

We continue to recommend that all nursing personnel, especially those who work in hospitals, nursing homes or for agencies, carry your own professional liability insurance.  If you do purchase insurance, make sure it has professional license defense coverage that will pay for your legal defense in the event a complaint is filed against your nursing license.  Usually coverage of up to $25,000 comes with most good nursing liability policies.  There are many companies that sell such insurance for as little as $100 per year.  However, if you can get additional coverage, $50,000 is more likely to cover any foreseeable investigations, hearings and appeals.  Even higher limits can be purchased for a few dollars more from many insurance companies.

Seek Legal Advice and Prepare Your Defenses Early.

Always seek legal advice as soon as you suspect there may be a complaint of any kind or an investigation of any kind.  Don’t hide your head in the sand and think that the investigation could not possibly be about you.  Talk to an attorney before you talk to anyone else.  A good attorney will help to save you from making mistakes that could compromise a good legal defense.

Call the attorneys of The Health Law Firm to set up a consultation on any of the above issues. To contact The Health Law Firm please call (407) 331-6620 or (850) 439-1001 and visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com.

Comments?

Did you find this blog helpful? Please leave any thoughtful comments below.

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. 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.
Copyright © 1996-2012 The Health Law Firm. All rights reserved.

By |2024-03-14T10:01:17-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Board of Nursing, Department of Health, Discipline, Emergency Suspension Order, Insurance, Nurse License|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 procedures will have to be complied with by the employing hospital which will no longer be able to arbitrarily terminate a nurse.

Unionization Means Written Contract for Nurses.

This also means that nurses employed by the hospital will now have a written contract and will have contractual rights. Most nurses work as “at will employees” without a contract. This allows them to be fired for any (non-discriminatory) reason or no reason at all. This will prevent that from happening from now on.

This also has an advantage even for those nurses who are not union members. The labor contract will apply to them, too, giving them contract rights, as well.

Union Representative.

Although the union believes that the RNs covered by the new agreement will greatly benefit from it, there are often problems that arise from union negotiations that may not be initially apparent.

For example, the nurse employee will have the right to have a union representative present at any disciplinary proceedings, interviews, or investigations by the hospital employer. A nurse may feel that having a union representative present will ensure that his or her legal interests are protected. However, this is not always the case. A union representative will generally not do anything to jeopardize the union’s relationship with the employer. Additionally, the union representative is not a lawyer and often will not be able to provide legal strategy, legal advice, or good defenses to the nurse.

Union reps should never be mistaken for legal counsel. They will likely have no legal background and are not a substitute for an attorney.

Nurses Unfairly Accused of Diverting Narcotics.

This firm has heard from a number of nurses employed by hospitals across the state and regularly represents them. Often we are contacted by nurses who state that they are unfairly and incorrectly accused of diverting narcotics from patients or pilfering them from Pyxis, Diebold or ther brands of automated pharmacy dispensing systems. Many of these have been terminated by their employers even though their drug tests came back negative or they passed a polygraph examination (lie detector test).

When nurses are unionized and have contractual rights, this helps to end unfair and arbitrary terminations. Such abuses by hospital employers cause nurses to decide to vote in favor of unionization.

Contact Health Law Attorneys Experienced with Nursing Issues Today.

The attorneys of The Health Law Firm provide legal representation to nurses, nurse practitioners, and CRNAs in investigations, contract negotiations, licensing issues and at Board of Nursing hearings.  They also advise nurses wrongfully accused of diverting drugs and those wrongfully terminated from employment.  Its attorneys represent nurses in DOH investigations, Board of Nursing cases and administrative hearings.

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

Sources Include:

Dymond, Richard. “Nurses Win First Bargaining Contract with HCA’s Blake, Doctor’s Hospital.” Bradenton Herald. (May 8, 2012). From
http://www.bradenton.com/2012/05/08/4029914/nurses-win-first-bargaining-contract.html

Peters Smith, Barbara. Registered Nurses Reach Labor Agreement with 10 Florida Hospitals.” Herald-Tribune. (May 7, 2012). From
http://health.heraldtribune.com/2012/05/07/registered-nurses-reach-labor-agreement-with-10-florida-hospitals/

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.  www.TheHealthLawFirm.com  The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone:  (407) 331-6620.

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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“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.
Copyright © 2022 The Health Law Firm. All rights reserved.
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