Patient Brokering Attorney in Florida

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Florida lawmakers have recently instituted a heavy crackdown on the practice of “patient brokering,” or the practice of recruiting or otherwise “buying” patients into their program in exchange for giving their recruiters kickbacks in the form of discounts or other considerations. Institutions that engage in patient brokering will usually recruit their staff or sometimes their own patients to try and “recruit” new patients into the system, where institutions will often make fraudulent claims to insurance companies to try and gain a profit.

This has become a serious problem in some sectors of the addiction treatment, sober living, and rehabilitation industries. Using patients or staff members to “recruit” people into treatment facilities is against the law, and “brokers,” or those who receive compensation for placing people into these illegitimate or fraudulent treatment programs, can be prosecuted.

Florida’s Anti-Brokering Laws

The laws give authorities the clear green-light to go after “brokers” and prosecute them for violating patient rights and contributing to medical insurance fraud. However, whenever law enforcement gain additional privileges and abilities, there are bound to be false accusations and arrests made for them.

If you have been arrested and charged with patient brokering or insurance fraud, you need qualified, an experienced West Palm Beach patient brokering attorney on your side. When you call the Law Offices of Greg Rosenfeld, P.A., you can trust that you’re working with an attorney who not only has your best interests at heart, but is deeply committed to defending your rights. We believe everyone deserves the best legal representation available, and our attorney has proven himself both in and out of the courtroom.

Established Penalties for Patient Brokering in Florida

Under the Florida laws, the penalties for patient brokering include a fine ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 depending on the level of the offense. The penalties also include a maximum prison sentence of five years for a third degree felony, and even lengthier prison sentences if charged as a first or second degree felony. You are deemed to have committed an offense when you receive an “illegal inducement,” or unlawful compensation that influences your referring of a patient to a particular facility. The laws also make it illegal to knowingly misrepresent a facility, including lying about who a facility actually is, where it is located, and the types of services they provide in an effort to lure potential patients to them.