Professional Misconduct

Hamil Little is an AV-rated, Georgia-based law practice exclusively focused on helping healthcare providers avoid and solve legal problems.  A significant part of our health law practice involves defending and advocating for physicians and other licensed healthcare professionals who are alleged to have engaged in professional misconduct or to have behavioral problems. Because of the substantial financial value of a healthcare professional’s employability, the consequences in such circumstances can be severe.  Understanding the commitment required to protect our clients’ financial and career objectives, we are devoted to protecting licensed healthcare professionals who are subject to misconduct allegations.  Our AV-rated law firm maintains offices in Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia and is highly service oriented.

The Doctor’s Lawyer

Our attorneys protect healthcare professionals in the following types of matters, for example:

• Disciplinary actions by employers, insurers, medical boards, state regulatory agencies: such as include investigations, hearings, appeals, complaints, suspensions, revocations, and termination of privileges.
• Licensure disputes: application denials, renewal problems, and inability to obtain a license.
• Fraud and abuse matters: Federal and State investigations of alleged violations of self-referral and kickback laws.
• Other regulatory compliance matters: HIPAA, HITECH, CMS, DEA, and state privacy laws.
• Credentialing and privileges disputes: Medicare and Medicaid denials and exclusion, hospital staff privileges denials and revocations, and insurance participation denials.

Allegations of professional misconduct can cripple a healthcare professional’s career.

Although the delivery of healthcare may be one of the highest career callings, it is a career path with unique hazards due to the high responsibility that attends providing health care to patients. Dating back to the Oath of Hippocrates, physicians have been governed by ethical standards intended to protect the rights of patients and to require that in the delivery of care, healthcare physicians act in an altruistic manner toward patients. In 1803, Thomas Percival, a doctor, and philosopher created a Code of Medical Ethics.   The American Medical Association (AMA) held its initial meeting in 1847, with two principal objectives: creating a code of ethics and stating minimum requirements for medical education and training, for improved public health. From this, the AMA created a Code of Ethics derived in large part from Percival’s earlier work. The 1847 Code was revised in 1903, 1912 and 1947.  In 1957, the AMA enacted the more modern Principles of Medical Ethics, which stated, “A physician should practice a method of healing founded on a scientific basis, and he should not voluntarily associate professionally with anyone who violates this principle.”  Since 1947, the AMA has played a vital role in the development of the practice of medicine in the United States.

In addition to ethical considerations that govern the delivery of healthcare, the states, through their police power, have wide-ranging legal ability to regulate the practice of medicine. Regulation of the practice of medicine by state licensing authorities is an important part of our modern healthcare delivery system, intended to protect patient safety and well-being. But as will many well-intended aspects of the law, the heavy regulation of the healthcare industry has some unintended adverse consequences.  Among other things, the breadth and complexities of the state and federal regulations are presently so great that few physicians or other healthcare providers can rest easy that their efforts to deliver healthcare in a financially and professionally rewarding way are automatically “compliant” with regulatory law. Instead, many healthcare providers find it essential to obtain appropriate counsel and representation to mitigate their professional and career risks of violating compliance laws, regulations, and rules.  In our law firm, we have made it our focus to learn how to navigate the regulatory landscape and help physicians and healthcare businesses reduce their compliance risks.  For example, we assist licensed healthcare professionals in understanding and properly applying medical practice act rules, scope of practice rules, pain management clinic parameters, patient-self referral laws, corporate practice of medicine rules, telemedicine rules, pharmaceutical laws, behavioral health provider regulations, and a variety of other sets of laws, regulations and rules that govern healthcare providers.

Contact Our Health Law Firm Today

Our health law firm is AV-rated and has considerable experience protecting healthcare professionals. Hamil Little has offices in Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia. Contact us today to schedule a confidential consultation.

DISCLAIMER: Any result this law firm or any lawyer of this law firm may achieve on behalf of one client in one matter does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.