Tag: liability
-
What’s at Stake for Medical Professionals in “Pill Mill” Investigations
In an earlier article, I detailed how the DOJ has focused its attention on the aggressive investigation and prosecution of “pill mill” cases. In this article, I discuss the consequences physicians and other medical professionals potentially face as a result of a “pill mill” investigation. CRIMINAL PROSECUTION A litany of criminal charges can be heaped…
-
Trends In False Claims Lawsuits
Trends in False Claims Lawsuits Since the Ruling in Universal Health Services v. U.S. ex rel. Escobar on June 16, 2016 Generally, the False Claims Act (“FCA”) imposes liability on any person who “knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval to the United States; [or] knowingly makes,…
-
![What If No One Was On Call [at the Legislature]?](https://alabamamedicine.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/AlabamaStateHouse_banner.jpg)
What If No One Was On Call [at the Legislature]?
2018 Recap of the Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature In times of illness, injury and emergency, patients depend on their physicians. But what if no one was on call? Public health would be in jeopardy. However, the same holds true for the Legislature. During the 2018 session alone, if the Medical Association had not…
-
Medical Association’s 2018 State and Federal Agendas
The Medical Association Board of Censors has met and approved the Association’s 2018 State and Federal Agendas. These agendas were developed with guidance from the House of Delegates and input from individual physicians. As the Alabama Legislature and U.S. Congress begin their work for 2018, additional items affecting physicians, medical practices and patients may be…
-
U.S. House Passes Legislation to Repair Medical Liability System
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a comprehensive medical liability reform bill, H.R. 1215, the Protecting Access to Care Act of 2017 (PACA), by a vote of 218 to 210, which includes significant reforms to help repair our nation’s broken medical liability system, reduce the growth of health care costs, and preserve patients’ access to…
-
What is the ProAssurance Legal Defense Endorsement?
As a ProAssurance insured, did you know that in addition to medical professional liability coverage your ProAssurance insurance policy also has embedded legal expense coverage for a variety of regulatory risk exposures, certain types of disciplinary proceedings, and other types of covered investigations? It’s called the Legal Defense Endorsement, and it is an automatic part…
-
Texting and Emailing in the World of HIPAA
If you experience anxiety every time you consider texting and/or emailing in your health care setting, you are not alone. On one hand, the world that we live in necessitates that information is communicated in a quick and easy manner. The ability to text or email staff and patients has become a high priority for…
-
ProAssurance: When Treated Fairly® is More than a Promise
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the 2016 Winter Issue of Alabama Medicine magazine. Choosing the right company for your professional liability insurance is one of the most important decisions you make as a physician. With multimillion dollar jury verdicts on the rise again – Alabama has seen eight in the last 36…