Preparing for a Deposition for Nurses

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

With the number of personal injury and healthcare-related lawsuits increasing each year, at some time in your professional career as a nurse, you will receive a subpoena requiring you to give an oral statement at a deposition. Having your deposition taken can be a stressful or even a scary experience. Following the few simple tips set forth in this chapter can make your deposition experience less stressful and hopefully relieve your feelings of anxiety.

Before the Deposition 

1. Be Prepared -You should prepare yourself for your deposition by familiarizing yourself with the chart or other medical records at issue in the lawsuit, unless your attorney instructs you otherwise. You should be prepared to answer general knowledge questions regarding the issues involved in the lawsuit. The examining attorney […]

By |2024-03-14T10:01:55-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Nurse Depositions, Nursing Law Blog|Tags: , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on Preparing for a Deposition for Nurses
Read More

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
Read More

New Regulations for Pain Management Clinics in Seminole County Coming

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

Seminole County, Florida, is the latest county to adopt tightened regulations for pain management clinics. On November 13, 2012, County Commissioners unanimously voted to adopt the ordinance enacting Chapter 186 of the Seminole County Code to establish regulations regarding pain management clinics.

Click here to read the entire Seminole County Ordinance.

County Commissioners hope these new regulations will aid law enforcement in fighting illegal pill mill operations in Florida.

Regulations In Place to Cut Down on Overprescribing.

The ordinance requires clinics to get a license, produce monthly reports on how many prescriptions are issued for controlled substances and report patient information, such as a patient’s address. This only applies to practices where doctors issue prescriptions for painkillers […]

By |2024-03-14T10:01:08-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Pain Management, Trafficking Prescription Painkillers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on New Regulations for Pain Management Clinics in Seminole County Coming
Read More

The 25 Biggest Mistakes Nurses Make After Being Notified of a Department of Health Complaint

By Lance Leider, J.D.

The investigation of a complaint which could lead to the revocation of a nurse’s license to practice and the assessment of tens of thousands of dollars in fines, usually starts with a simple letter from the Department of Health (DOH). This is a very serious legal matter, and it should be treated as such by the nurse who receives it. Yet, in many cases, attorneys are consulted by nurses after the entire investigation is over, and they have attempted to represent themselves throughout the case. Often, the mistakes that have been made severely compromise an attorney’s ability to achieve a favorable result for the nurse.

These are the 25 biggest mistakes we see in the nursing cases we are called upon to defend after a DOH investigation has been initiated:

1. Failing to keep a current, valid […]

By |2024-03-14T10:01:55-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Department of Health, Nurse Depositions, Nurse License|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on The 25 Biggest Mistakes Nurses Make After Being Notified of a Department of Health Complaint
Read More

Florida Woman Uses Forged License to Practice Nursing

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

A Florida woman allegedly used a fake state nursing license to pose as a nurse and then treat patients at their homes, according to the Lake County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office. The woman is accused of treating patients at least seven times, but the sheriff’s office stated there may be more victims. The fake nurse was arrested on September 27, 2013. She faces charges of working as a nurse without a license and using a forged state document.

To read the Orlando Sentinel article, click here.

This is not the woman’s first time in trouble with law enforcement. Earlier this year she was allegedly arrested for running an unlicensed assisted living facility (ALF), according to WFTV, the ABC affiliate in Orlando, Florida.

Used Another Nurse’s License […]

By |2024-03-14T10:01:58-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Nurse License, Patient Care|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on Florida Woman Uses Forged License to Practice Nursing
Read More

Nurse: Please Talk to an Attorney Before You Talk to an Investigator

By Lance Leider, J.D.

In Florida, You DO NOT Have to Speak to an Investigator!

Despite mailing out hundreds of thousands of postcards and letters to nurses throughout Florida, we continue to receive calls from new clients and from potential clients, after they have already spoken to and made critical harmful admissions against their own interests to investigators. In Florida, you do not have any duty to cooperate with any investigator who is investigating you. This extends to Department of Health (DOH) investigators (who are sometimes titled “Medical Quality Assurance Investigators” or “Medical Malpractice Investigators”), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agents, police officers, sheriff’s deputies, or criminal investigators of any type.

Nurses, Investigators are NOT on Your Side.

Let me state this as succinctly and clearly as possible. If you are being investigated, you will not be better off making a statement. […]

By |2024-03-14T10:01:08-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Board of Nursing, Department of Health, Nurse License|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on Nurse: Please Talk to an Attorney Before You Talk to an Investigator
Read More

Nurses Beware of a Disciplinary Action Database Called Licensure QuickConfirm

By Christopher E. Brown, J.D.

Nurses, did you know the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) maintains a database of all state disciplinary actions?  This database, called Licensure QuickConfirm, lists all disciplinary actions from the Florida Board of Nursing and forty-six (46) other state boards. It is frequently used by hospitals and medical groups to screen potential employees.

To search the Licensure QuickConfirm list, click here.

Information Comes From the Boards of Nursing.

According to the website, all information listed on the database comes directly from the boards of nursing. A report will contain:– the nurse’s name, – licensed jurisdiction,

– license type

– license number,

– compact status (single state or multistate),

– license original issue date,

– license expiration date,

– discipline against license, and

[…]

By |2024-03-14T10:01:56-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Board of Nursing, Discipline, Nurse License|Tags: , , , , , , |Comments Off on Nurses Beware of a Disciplinary Action Database Called Licensure QuickConfirm
Read More

Other Options Must Be Considered Before Emergency Suspension Order Will Be Upheld

The Department of Health (“DOH”) issued an emergency order suspending Burton’s license to practice nursing.

On appeal, the court quashed the emergency order. It held that DOH had failed to examine other disciplinary options available to it short of suspension. While recognizing DOH might be able to support license suspension as an appropriate penalty, it held that Burton was entitled to a hearing to contest the charges.

In the dissenting opinion, Judge Osterhaus cited numerous findings in the DOH order that supported suspension.

Source:

Burton v. Department of Health, 116 So. 3d 1285 (Fla. 1st DCA 2013) (Opinion filed July 24, 2013).

About the Author: The forgoing case summary was prepared by Mary F. Smallwood, Esquire, of the Administrative Law Section of The Florida Bar. It originally appeared in the Administrative Law Section newsletter, Vol. 35, No. 2 (Dec. 2013).

By |2024-03-14T10:01:58-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Administrative Hearing, Department of Health, Discipline, Emergency Suspension Order|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on Other Options Must Be Considered Before Emergency Suspension Order Will Be Upheld
Read More

Tips, Pointers and Reminders for Administrative Hearings

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

Formal administrative hearings are one of the options provided to a person who has significant (or substantial) interests that will be affected by agency action and who contests the material facts involved in the case.

In this blog, we are usually discussing a hearing involving the professional license of the nurse. In many cases this will be a notice of intent to deny a license application; however, in most cases, it will be based on an administrative complaint filed against the nurse charging the nurse with a violation of the Nurse Practice Act or other misconduct.

A formal administrative hearing is the only chance which is provided to a nurse to actually challenge the facts of the case and show, for example, that she is not guilty […]

By |2024-03-14T10:01:09-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Administrative Complaints, Administrative Hearing, Board of Nursing, Nurse License|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on Tips, Pointers and Reminders for Administrative Hearings
Read More

Almost 19% of Nurse Aides Charged with Abuse and Neglect, had Prior Criminal Records

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

A report released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) on October 5, 2012, found that nineteen percent (19%) of long-term care nurse aides who were found guilty of on-the-job abuse, neglect or property theft in 2010 had prior criminal records that would have showed up on a background check.

Click here to read the entire report from the HHS OIG.

Report is Part of the Affordable Care Act Background Check Program.

Section 6201 of the Affordable Care Act establishes a background check program. This voluntary program gives grants to states that support nursing home employee background checks.

The report was released to assess the ability of the background check program to help decrease the number of neglect, abuse and […]

By |2024-03-14T10:01:56-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Nurse Aide, Nurse License, Patient Care|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment
Read More
“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.
FacebookInstagramLinkedInTwitterYouTube
Go to Top