Under Florida law, the Florida Board of Medicine has the power to take disciplinary action against Florida physician assistants for many reasons, including violating any of the state’s rules governing physician assistant conduct or committing a crime. While disciplinary action may be warranted in some cases, complaints and allegations against a Florida physician assistant can be fabricated, exaggerated or inappropriate.
Unfortunately, if the Board suspends or revokes your physician assistant license, it can jeopardize not only your present employment and income, but your entire career. Therefore, if you have reason to believe you are being investigated for misconduct or negligence, you should contact an attorney with experience defending physician assistants as soon as possible. By acting quickly, you may be able to resolve the problem before a formal administrative complaint gets filed.
Attorney Jonathan Rose has the legal experience and skill you need to help you fight harmful allegations that could jeopardize your P.A. license. His law firm specializes in defending health care providers, including doctors, nurses, physician assistants and other healthcare professionals, who are in danger of losing their professional licenses and/or have been accused of committing crimes. He can help you at any stage of administrative or criminal proceedings.
Reasons for Disciplinary Action Against Florida Physician Assistants
Patients, employers, coworkers or other health professionals can file a complaint against physician assistants with the Florida Department of Health. Complaints of misconduct, negligence, or unethical behavior can trigger an investigation by the Department that can lead to disciplinary action.
Complaints that may lead to discipline include those alleging:
- Fraud
- Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs at work
- Negligence
- Patient contact that is inappropriate
- Performing procedures that are unnecessary
- Failure to report another medical professional’s violations
If you are being investigated for or accused of any of these behaviors or anything else that could lead to disciplinary action — or if you have already been formally charged with an administrative complaint or have been accused of a crime — contact our office as soon as possible to get started on your defense.
When Florida Physician Assistants Are Accused of Paying or Receiving Kickbacks
Physician assistants could face administrative discipline and criminal charges if accused of paying or receiving kickbacks. Both Florida law (the Florida Patient Brokering Act) and federal law (the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which applies to kickbacks in Federal healthcare programs) criminalize kickbacks. Examples of kickbacks include physician assistants:
- Paying patients to come to their practice.
- Paying other medical providers to refer patients.
- Receiving payment from a drug company in exchange for prescribing the company’s drugs.
- Receiving payment from a medical supplier in exchange for ordering the company’s supplies.
Payments do not necessarily have to be in cash. Goods or services can also count as payments under the anti-kickback laws.
Criminal penalties for kickback violations can be severe, with steep fines of up to $50,000 for each individual kickback, plus additional fines of three times the amount of the kickbacks. Violators can be incarcerated and may also lose their physician assistant license.
If you are being investigated or have been charged with a kickback offense, you need an attorney who is experienced in federal and Florida state criminal defense, as well as in defending Florida physician assistants against administrative disciplinary actions that threaten their professional licenses. Jonathan Rose has the defense experience you need to help you fight kickback charges and achieve the best possible outcome for your future.
What Florida Physician Assistants Should Do If Complaints Are Filed Against Them
If a complaint has been filed against you, but you haven’t yet been formally charged, you need to be very careful about what you say or do. Anything you say to an investigator may be used against you later. Before communicating anything or taking any action, you should talk to an attorney who is experienced in defending Florida physician assistants against disciplinary actions.
With the help of an experienced attorney, you may be able to get the complaint dismissed before the investigation proceeds to the next step and a formal administrative complaint is filed against you. The earlier you can talk to an attorney, the better. Jonathan Rose can advocate on your behalf and may be able to get the complaint issue resolved early.
What Florida Physician Assistants Should Do If Formal Administrative Charges Have Been Filed Against Them
If the Florida Board of Medicine has already filed a formal complaint against you, then you need an attorney who can provide an aggressive defense.
Jonathan Rose is committed to proactively protecting your rights and aggressively defending you. As your attorney, he will:
- Gather and prepare all of evidence necessary to build a strong, strategic defense.
- Prepare compelling arguments to challenge the alleged facts.
- Vigorously represent you at your hearing.
- Present mitigating evidence to reduce the severity of any penalties.
- Answer all of your questions about your case.
- Discuss all options and defense strategies thoroughly with you.
Legal Help for Florida Physician Assistants Facing Disciplinary Action
Jonathan Rose has more than 20 years of experience as an attorney. He is a former prosecutor, a civil litigation lawyer, and a Marine. Now, he devotes his law practice to helping health care professionals who are being investigated or charged with administrative violations or are being investigated or charged with paying or receiving kickbacks or committing other federal and/or state crimes.
If you are under suspicion or have been formally charged with an administrative and/or criminal offense, you should not take any chances with your defense. Too much is at stake. No matter where you are in the administrative or criminal process, contact Jonathan Rose as soon as possible so that he can get to work as soon as possible helping you avoid or minimize the damage these charges can cause.
Let us put our experience, skill and resources to work for you. Get the protection and defense you need by calling us at 407-894-4555 or submitting the contact form on our website.