Harsher laws may be in store for violating the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act. The Veterinary Medical Board (the “VMB” or “Board”) is proposing to amend the Civil Penalties for Citation (Section 2043 of Article 5.5, Division 20, Title 16, California Code of Regulations), to impose higher fines and penalties in Read more…
This blog entry is the second of a three-part series of entries regarding issues that Veterinarians face when there is a change in the practice relationship. This can be a veterinarian leaving a practice, a clinic selling a practice, or a practice that is closing. The series examines the following questions: Who Read more…
The Medical Board of California (MBC) is considering a notification requirement for licensed doctors in the state on probation. There are roughly 500 such doctors as of 2015. The petition asks the MBC to add to its disciplinary guidelines a new mandated term of probation. Physicians on probation would be Read more…
Earlier this month, FitBit, Inc. announced that it had reached HIPAA compliance in regards to user-health-data it collects. For those not in the know, FitBit, Inc. is the company that is responsible for many of the brightlty-colored and flexible bracelets, anklets, and pendants you may see your colleagues wearing throughout Read more…
This blog entry is the first of a three-part series of entries regarding issues that Veterinarians face when there is a change in the practice relationship. This can be a veterinarian leaving a practice, a clinic selling a practice, or a practice that is closing. The series examines the following Read more…
1 in 3 Americans have been convicted of a crime in their lifetime. [1] Getting a job with a criminal record in the healthcare industry is difficult, even impossible for certain jobs. Not only are the licensing authorities who issue licenses to medical professionals likely to discipline a license holder Read more…
On September 26 and 27, 2015, Steven L. Simas, founder and owner of Simas & Associates, Ltd. spoke at the 2015 Annual Conference for the California Physical Therapy Association (CPTA). The conference was held at the Pasadena Convention Center and had over several hundred physical therapists in attendance. This year’s conference Read more…
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) today issued a nationwide alert about the dangers of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues/compounds. Fentanyl is commonly laced in heroin, causing significant problems across the country, particularly as heroin abuse has increased. “Drug incidents and overdoses related to fentanyl are occurring at an alarming Read more…
Employers have long been denied the opportunity to request a second opinion on an employee’s ability to work before returning from Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave. However, in California, an employer is permitted to request a fitness-for-duty examination and certification after the employee is permitted to return to work. So long as it Read more…
(This article will appear in the California Physical Therapy Association's March 2015 Newsletter, PT Interventions.) Reporting abuse sounds like a simple and straightforward process. But due to the personal nature of the physical therapist-patient relationship, it can be difficult. Because such reporting is mandated by California law, this article examines Read more…