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Network, Inc., based in Fernandina Beach, Florida. PRN has a contract with the State of Florida to provide services to all impaired health care practitioners in the State, except nurses, who have a separate program based in Jacksonville Beach (the Intervention Program for Nurses). PRN also provides services to veterinarians, accountants, and harbor pilots. PRN is headed by Dr. Raymond Pomm, a psychiatrist and addictionologist with many years experience working with impaired health care professionals. PRN customarily carries a caseload of 1,200 active contracts. PRN does not provide treatment to impaired professionals, but acts as a clearinghouse and monitoring station. PRN reviews evaluators, treatment providers, monitors and support groups and approves those that meet the standards of the program and the Department of Health. These entities are then allowed to provide services to impaired practitioners within the PRN program. If a health care professional contacts PRN and reports their impairment two things occur: (1) by law, the professional cannot be prosecuted for the impairment as long as he or she follows PRN's recommendations and (2) PRN will get them the help they need. This usually begins with an evaluation by a qualified professional. If the evaluator recommends treatment, the health care professional will enter either inpatient or outpatient treatment for their addiction. Recovery also may include attendance at support groups, drug screenings, family counseling and regular contact with PRN staff. PRN closely monitors all aspects of the professional's recovery and as long as the health care professional stays in compliance with the PRN program, the regulatory agencies do not become involved. PRN also works closely with the Boards of Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Dentistry, and other health boards, to monitor those professionals whose impairment has led to formal discipline. These health care professionals are in PRN under order of their Board and can be immediately suspended from practice if they do not comply with the orders of their Board. The orders may include withdrawal from practice, treatment, drug screenings, etc. PRN monitors physicians with numerous types of impairments including alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness, physical impairments including HIV/AIDS and problems with disruptive behavior. Many entities refer professionals to PRN, including hospitals and clinics, other providers, patients, co-workers and friends. The program has been in existence since the 1980's and is recognized nationwide as one of the best programs in the country. The Florida Medical Association is proud to be a part of this fine tradition of protecting the public and assisting those health care professionals in need. The Professionals Resource Network can be contacted at 1-800-888-8776 The Intervention Program for Nurses can be contacted at 1-904-270-1620 This article is presented for educational purposes only and should not be taken as a substitute for legal advice, which should be obtained from personal legal counsel. Nevertheless, the FMA hopes that the information provided here and in its other publications continues to assist physicians in answering many of their most common legal questions allowing them to treat patients, instead of addressing legal concerns. Last Update: October 2008 INTRACTABLE PAIN STATUTE The Florida Medical Association has historically supported legislation that would allow physicians to prescribe and administer controlled substances to those suffering from intractable pain, even if the cause of the pain cannot be removed or otherwise treated.In 1994, the FMA successfully lobbied the Legislature to pass Section 458.326, Florida Statutes. This statute allows a physician who diagnoses a patient as having intractable pain to prescribe or administer any controlled substance under Schedules II through V for the treatment of such pain, provided that the physician acts in a "reasonably prudent" manner. While the statute does not condone or authorize euthanasia or physician assisted suicide, it does protect the physician who wishes to minimize the pain of a patient whose pain may not be treatable in any other manner.This article is presented for educational purposes only and should not be taken as a substitute for legal advice, which should be obtained from personal legal counsel. Nevertheless, the FMA hopes that the information provided here and in its other publications continues to assist physicians in answering many of their most common legal questions allowing them to treat patients, instead of addressing legal concerns. Last Update: August 2016 LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT (LEP) PATIENTS Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin by organizations receiving federal funding. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR), discrimination based on national origin includes policies or procedures that may have a disparate impact on non-English speaking persons. A Limited English Proficient (LEP) individual is “unable to communicate effectively in English because their primary language is not English and they have not developed fluency in the English language.” Title VI therefore requires all recipients of federal financial assistance from HHS to take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access for LEP individuals. Note: Providers who only receive Medicare Part B payments are not considered recipients of HHS assistance. Small practitioners and providers that accept Federal financial assistance will not be held to fulfill the same level of language services as practitioners and providers with larger budgets. While OCR will determine compliance on a case by case basis, OCR will use the following four-factor analysis to balance the interests of smaller providers with the needs of LEP patients: “(1) The number or proportion of LEP persons eligible to be served or likely to be encountered by the program, activity or service provided by the recipient; (2) the frequency with which LEP individuals come in contact with the recipient's program, activity or service; (3) the nature and importance of the recipient's program, activity, or service; and (4) the resources available to the recipient and costs.”Types of language assistance services Regardless of whether a certain provider or practitioner is a covered entity, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) warns against using bi-lingual employees, family members, friends, minors, volunteers, or other patients as interpreters and/or translators. This poses a danger for increased liability, substantial privacy violations and critical misinterpretations. The DOH lists appropriate interpreters as trained bilingual staff, on-staff interpreters, contract interpreters, and telephone interpreters. Additionally, vital documents should be translated by a professional translator. For more information and FAQ’s, please see the “Guidance to Federal Financial Assistance Recipients Regarding Title VI Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination Affecting Limited English Proficient Persons” at: This article is presented for educational purposes only and should not be taken as a substitute for legal advice, which should be obtained from personal legal counsel. Nevertheless, the FMA hopes that the information provided here and in its other publications continues to assist physicians in answering many of their most common legal questions allowing them to treat patients, instead ofaddressing legal concerns. Last Update: February 2013 MANAGED CARE CONTRACTS THINGS TO CONSIDER A bad contract with a Managed Care Organization (MCO) can be a nightmare for your practice, the patients you treat, and can play havoc with your finances. Some physicians find themselves seeing too many patients in order to maintain cash flow as a result of poor reimbursements from MCOs. You can avoid this catastrophe by spending a little time
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