Florida Healthcare Law Firm

Ancillary services — imaging, laboratory work, physical therapy, durable medical equipment, infusion, pathology — are often the most profitable lines in a medical practice or hospital system. They're also where compliance risk concentrates most heavily. The Stark Law (Physician Self-Referral Law) and the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) were written with exactly these arrangements in mind, and enforcement agencies have shown no hesitation about pursuing organizations that get the structure wrong — even when everyone involved believed they were acting in good faith. For hospital administrators and physician groups building or expanding ancillary service lines, understanding where these two statutes diverge — and where they overlap — is the difference between a compliant revenue stream and a False Claims Act exposure sitting quietly on the books until an audit, a departing employee, or a whistleblower brings it to light. Two Statutes, Two Different Tests Stark Law is a strict l...

If you are wondering, “ Is Florida legalizing weed ?” , the answer depends on what you mean by “legalizing.” Florida permits medical marijuana for qualified patients under its state medical marijuana program, but recreational or adult-use marijuana is not currently legal statewide. Florida has taken steps toward expanding the legal framework surrounding cannabis, and a new adult-use marijuana constitutional amendment initiative is currently active for the 2028 election cycle. However, that does not mean recreational marijuana is legal in Florida today. For patients, healthcare providers, businesses, and anyone following Florida cannabis laws, understanding the difference between medical marijuana and recreational marijuana is essential. Is Weed Legal in Florida Right Now? As of 2026, Florida does not have a statewide recreational marijuana law allowing adults to purchase and possess marijuana simply for personal use. Florida does have a constitutional and statutory framework per...

Verifying a healthcare license in Florida is a routine but critical task. Whether you're a patient checking a provider's credentials, an employer conducting due diligence before hiring, or a healthcare professional confirming your own record is accurate, a Florida state license lookup gives you direct access to that information, since Florida's licensing system is built to make it publicly accessible. This guide explains how the lookup process works, what information you can find, and why it matters from a legal and compliance standpoint. Who Regulates Healthcare Licenses in Florida? Most healthcare licenses in Florida are issued and regulated by the Florida Department of Health (DOH) , through its Division of Medical Quality Assurance (MQA) . MQA oversees licensing, renewal, enforcement, and disciplinary actions for more than 200 license types across over 40 healthcare professions — including physicians, nurses, physician assistants, dentists, pharmacists, mental heal...

Before you see a new doctor, hire a physician, or credential one for your practice, there's one question worth answering first: is this person actually licensed to practice medicine in Florida? Florida physician license verification answers that question in minutes, for free, through a single official state system — yet many people either skip the step entirely or rely on outdated third-party sites that don't tell the full story. This guide walks through exactly how to verify a license correctly, what the results mean, common mistakes to avoid, and when a licensing issue is serious enough to call a healthcare attorney. Who Actually Needs to Do This License verification isn't just for hospital credentialing offices. It matters for: Patients choosing a new doctor or checking on a provider they've heard concerns about Employers and medical groups hiring or contracting with a physician Hospitals and credentialing staff running primary-source verification for pr...

Virtual consultations have become a routine part of med spa operations — from intake calls before a Botox appointment to follow-up check-ins for weight-loss patients on GLP-1 medications. Understanding the telehealth rules for medical spas in Florida matters here, because "doing it over video" doesn't mean the usual medical practice rules disappear. Telehealth is its own regulated category, layered on top of everything a med spa already has to comply with. Here's what owners, medical directors, and staff need to know in 2026. The Core Law: Florida Statute § 456.47 Florida's telehealth framework lives in Fla. Stat. § 456.47 , enacted in 2019 and amended several times since (most notably by SB 312 in 2022). It applies to any licensed health care provider — physicians, ARNPs, PAs, and others — who deliver care to a patient using telecommunications technology instead of an in-person visit. Key points med spas need to internalize: Definition matters. Teleheal...

Patient trust is the currency of every healthcare business, and nothing erodes it faster than a data breach. Solid HIPAA compliance protects patients, but it also protects the practice itself — from regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and the operational chaos that follows a breach. Yet for many providers, HIPAA remains a source of confusion: which policies are actually required, who counts as a "business associate," and what happens if something goes wrong. This guide breaks down what healthcare providers need in place to build — and maintain — a defensible HIPAA compliance program. What HIPAA Actually Requires HIPAA is built around two core rules that every covered entity needs to address: The Privacy Rule governs how protected health information (PHI) may be used and disclosed, and gives patients rights over their own records. The Security Rule applies specifically to electronic PHI (ePHI) and requires administrative, physical, and technical safeguards ...