Cases we handle
- Standard-of-care complaints, including those arising from malpractice claims and adverse incident reports
- Medical records and documentation allegations
- Prescribing and controlled-substance cases
- Boundary, sexual misconduct and impairment allegations
- Advertising, fee-splitting and patient brokering allegations
- Criminal arrests, convictions and the duty to report them
- Hospital privilege actions that trigger Department review
- Emergency suspension and emergency restriction orders
- Licensure applications with prior discipline or criminal history
How standard-of-care cases are built
In a standard-of-care case the Department retains an expert in your specialty to review the records and opine on whether you fell below the prevailing standard. Your records are the whole case. We review them with our own expert before you respond, identify what the Department's expert will focus on, and present the clinical reasoning the chart may not show on its face.
Consequences beyond the license
Discipline by the Board of Medicine is reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank and visible to every hospital, insurer and medical staff office you deal with. It can trigger privilege reviews, payer terminations, DEA scrutiny and reciprocal discipline in other states. We weigh every proposed settlement against those downstream effects, not just the license itself.
Impairment and PRN
Where a complaint involves substance use or mental health, the Professionals Resource Network (PRN) may be offered as an alternative to discipline. PRN participation is confidential and can preserve a license, but it is a long-term monitoring contract. We help physicians evaluate whether PRN is the right path and negotiate its terms.
Frequently asked questions
A patient filed a complaint. Does that mean I will be disciplined?
No. Most complaints are closed without discipline, either because they are legally insufficient or because the probable cause panel finds no violation. How the investigation stage is handled has a large effect on which group your case falls into.
I settled a malpractice claim. Will the Department investigate?
Closed claims above the reporting threshold are reported to the Department, which reviews them for standard-of-care issues. A settlement is not an admission, but it does prompt a review.
Can the Board suspend my license before a hearing?
The Department can issue an emergency order restricting or suspending a license when it finds an immediate serious danger to the public. These orders can be appealed to the District Court of Appeal on an expedited basis, and the underlying case still has to be proved.
Complaints against physicians & pas are handled by the Department of Health. That page explains the agency's process in more detail.
This page is general information about Florida law, not legal advice. Deadlines and procedures vary by case and change over time.