At Simas & Associates, we are obsessed with preparing our clients for investigative interviews impacting their licenses. Although we have written two blog articles about this subject entitled Physicians Beware! Unforeseen Consequences of Meeting with Medical Board Investigators and Physicians Beware! Part 2: Unforeseen Consequences of Meeting with Medical Board Read more…
The Medical Board of California – responsible for investigating and disciplining physicians – is in danger of being dismantled at the end of the year. The Assembly has until the end of the day, Friday, July 14, to renew it or face the likelihood of expiration and replacement. What has Read more…
One of Simas & Associates, Ltd.'s main areas of practice involves representing clients with health care or professional licenses who are under investigation. In June 2017, Simas & Associates achieved a personal record in closing seven different investigations within a week's period. As described below, the majority of these cases Read more…
The California Medical Association, which represents about 43,000 of the state’s licensed physicians, is working with state Assemblywoman Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, on a new bill, Assembly Bill 505, which would bar the Medical Board of California from entering a settlement agreement placing on probation any physician who has committed "serious Read more…
The National Practitioner Data Bank (“NPDB”) was created by Congress and contains information related to “certain adverse actions related to health care practitioners, entities, providers, and suppliers.”[1] The law determines what types of adverse actions are reportable to the NPDB, however, most reporting entities error on the side of over-reporting Read more…
Many licenses granted by the state of California are given with a finite time period. This finite time period permits the licensing agency the opportunity to review each licensee’s fitness to practice under a license… as well as collect a small fee for having done so. Renewal Requirements The license Read more…
After defending hundreds of health care licensing investigations and disciplinary actions from Boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs over the years, certain things have become very apparent. First, a licensing Board or Department of Consumer Affairs (“DCA”) investigator is not contacting you for praise or accolades – there has Read more…
Obesity is no longer considered just a case of over-eating and lack of self-control. It is acknowledged as a “chronic progressive disease resulting from multiple environmental and genetic factors” by various International and National scientific organizations, including the World Health Organization. The National Institute of Health recommends bariatric surgery as Read more…
This is part of a series of posts on changes to the California Medical Marijuana industry. In part two, we will discuss the specific provisions California Medical Marijuana and Safety Act (MMRSA), including the seventeen (!) different types of licenses which will be issued by various public agencies. History of Medical Read more…
There is no doubt that that the possibility of losing anything that you have worked hard to obtain is a hard pill to swallow. Especially, related to your livelihood. So for medical professionals avoiding any hint of billing fraud or abuse related to Medicare, Medicaid, and other Federal and State Read more…