Posted on January 13, 2023 in Nursing License Defense

Getting a nursing license is a major accomplishment; not only does a prospective nurse have to go through years of school, but she must also pass extremely challenging tests and then apply for a license in the state in which she wishes to practice. Unfortunately, even if a student has excellent grades and performs well on the board examinations, she may be surprised to find her nursing license has been denied anyway. If you are in this situation, read on to learn why a nursing license may be denied and how you can get help from a professional license defense attorney.

Prior Convictions

Certain crimes can allow IDFPR to deny an applicant’s license. While disclosed crimes rarely cause this, if the board finds out about an undisclosed crime, they can and will bar someone from getting their license until there is a satisfactory explanation. In a worst case scenario, they may see the lack of disclosure as an attempt to defraud the licensing board rather than an honest mistake. However, certain crimes are an automatic bar from getting a nursing license, including crimes that require registration as a sex offender and certain crimes against children or patients. It is important to have help with the appeals process so you have the best chance of presenting a good explanation for any disclosure mistakes.

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 Posted on January 05, 2023 in Medical License Defense

Getting a real estate license in Illinois is no easy feat. In addition to licensing courses, exams, and completing training with a sponsoring broker, there is endless ongoing research into market trends, local housing prices, and government regulations. The threat of losing one’s real estate license because of a criminal conviction or for any other reason could mean years of hard work and personal investment gone to waste. If you are facing sanctions to your professional real estate license, make sure you speak with an Illinois professional license defense attorney right away.

Crimes That Can Trigger Real Estate License Sanctions

Many crimes are serious enough to allow sanctions against a real estate license, and some may even prevent someone from getting their license in the first place. Although the crimes are not limited to those related to real estate, crimes that are connected to real estate in any way are top of the list. These include, but are not limited to:

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 Posted on December 16, 2022 in Medical License Defense

Several American nurses lost their jobs recently after they posted a video on social media describing the things they dislike about their jobs in labor and delivery. Even after the original posting was deleted, the video continued to make its way around the internet, leaving the nurses who originally posted it with no way to take it back or to get their faces out of the news.

This incident highlights the pitfalls of social media use for healthcare professionals, who, while certainly being entitled to their opinions about their job and patients, are at a heightened risk of professional sanctions for sharing those opinions publicly. Experts who advise healthcare professionals on how to use social media wisely have several tips for avoiding behaviors that could potentially open one up to criticism and even professional disciplinary measures.

Maintain Patient Privacy

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 Posted on December 08, 2022 in Dentist License Defense

Dentists spend many years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to learn the skill of dentistry. When taking into account the bureaucratic labor and fees, office and equipment financing, and staffing costs associated with setting up a practice, dental professionals have often invested enormous amounts of time and money by the time they are actually practicing on patients.

Unfortunately, this investment does not protect dentists from accusations of misconduct. Even when such accusations are entirely unfounded, dentists may face an uphill battle defending themselves from allegations of fraud, abuse, or other inappropriate behaviors. If you know or are worried that you may be facing an investigation for allegations against you, your hard work deserves to be protected by an excellent professional license defense attorney.

What Kind of Behaviors Can Cause a Dentist to be Investigated?

Every state has a board responsible for overseeing and regulating dentists. In Illinois, the Illinois State Board of Dentistry and the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) work in tandem to ensure dentists are compliant with state laws and that any accusations against a dentist are investigated thoroughly.

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 Posted on December 02, 2022 in Medical License Defense

Studies estimate that more than 40 percent of doctors will be sued during their careers. As America becomes increasingly litigious, doctors can expect that rate to go up - and so can other healthcare professionals. Nurses, dentists, psychologists, social workers, and any other healthcare worker is at risk of any number of accusations - many of which may be partly false, unfounded, or stem from the accuser’s own mental unwellness.

Even in cases involving obviously false allegations, healthcare practitioners can find themselves defending their cause in front of their regulating board, to say nothing of the impact such allegations can have on the professional’s standing in their family and community. If you have been accused of any wrongdoing, it is crucial to retain experienced legal representation right away.

What Kind of False Accusations Can Healthcare Workers Face?

Medicine is a complex area of employment that involves interactions with patients, coworkers, financial processors, and more. Healthcare employees may face false accusations for a virtually limitless number of reasons, including, but not limited to:

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 Posted on November 23, 2022 in Medical License Defense

Social workers play a crucial role in helping people work through their problems and become effective, well-adjusted members of society. Whether social workers practice in child welfare agencies, addiction services, schools, or private practices, they help vulnerable people and communities deal with real-world problems.

Unfortunately, because of the often public-facing nature of their job, social workers often find themselves targeted by dissatisfied clients, parents, or coworkers. Social workers also carry the burden of performing professionally at a very high standard, protecting vulnerable people even at the expense of their own needs or desires. Sometimes, social workers make mistakes that jeopardize their ability to practice their profession; other times, they are unfairly singled out for retaliation. Whatever the allegations against you, if you are a social worker facing accusations of ethical misconduct, negligence, or other misbehavior, you need the help of an Illinois professional license defense attorney.

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 Posted on November 16, 2022 in Medical License Defense

Accusations of Medicare fraud or abuse can have a significant impact on a healthcare provider’s ability to practice his or her profession. In addition to limiting the kinds of patients a provider can serve, Medicare provider revocation can be involved without other sanctions that may prevent a doctor from practicing altogether and may involve hefty fines. In one recent example, a Kentucky doctor was fined $720,000 and suspended from federal healthcare programs for fifteen years for submitting false claims to Medicare and Violating the False Claims Act.

If you are facing accusations of Medicare fraud, you need experienced, aggressive legal counsel to help you manage the investigation in your favor. If you have already had your Medicare provider status revoked or suspended, a professional license defense attorney may be able to help you get your privileges back.

Why Would Medicare Provider Status Be Revoked or Suspended?

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 Posted on November 10, 2022 in Psychologist/ Social Worker License Defense

Psychologists face a tremendous amount of responsibility as they attempt to treat patients for some of the most complex, difficult-to-understand mental illnesses imaginable. Although many psychologists help patients overcome difficulties and learn to manage mental illness in a safe, productive way, other times a psychologist’s professional practice may lead patients to further harm. In the most extreme cases, patients may take their own lives, potentially exposing the psychologist to professional discipline for their treatment methods.

If you are being accused of contributing to a patient’s suicide, it is essential to take these accusations seriously and to enlist help in defending your professional license. Even if you are convinced you did nothing wrong, you may be subjected to an investigation that could threaten your ability to practice.

Can a Psychologist Be Penalized For Certain Kinds of Practices?

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 Posted on October 21, 2022 in Medical License Defense

Many different healthcare professionals need hospital admitting privileges. While doctors are perhaps most commonly thought of as using hospitals to practice medicine, other professionals, such as nurses who work in birthing centers next to hospitals, need admitting privileges, too. Not being able to admit patients to a hospital could put patients at risk of serious injury or death, and healthcare workers simply may not be able to do their job without hospital admitting privileges. Unfortunately, loss of hospital privileges can happen for a number of reasons. If you are being threatened with loss of admitting privileges or have already lost your admitting privileges, make sure you work closely with an Illinois medical license defense attorney.

Why Do Healthcare Professionals Lose Hospital Admitting Privileges?

People lose hospital admitting privileges for many reasons, although the most common are for issues related to not following hospital protocol and accusations of providing poor patient care. However, other reasons - such as abuse toward colleagues or falling short on an improvement agreement designed to increase the standard of your practice - may trigger the loss of admitting privileges as well.

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 Posted on October 14, 2022 in Medical License Defense

One of the ways the government is trying to respond to the urgent national opioid epidemic is by sending the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) after practitioners suspected of overprescribing opioids to patients. While there are many doctors who have rightfully been investigated and held responsible for overprescribing opioids, others have gotten caught in the cogs of a machine that is desperately trying to prove that it is doing something - whether that something is actually helpful or not.

Even if you are certain you are not guilty of overprescribing opioids to your patients, it is essential to take an investigation by the DEA seriously. If the Illinois medical board is concurrently conducting a separate investigation, the DEA’s findings may influence that investigation. While you may not have violated any laws regarding opioid prescriptions, the board may be interested in other potential violations, in distancing itself from you for other reasons, or in responding to a complaint that is a result of a personal vendetta. No matter the reason, you need to take an investigation seriously and have a professional license defense attorney’s help.

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