Medical Concierge Practice Lawyer
Medical concierge practices are a growing part of the healthcare industry. Due to their specific nature, there are inherent legal challenges that you need to address, both informing one of these practices and operating one.
Innova Health Law represents medical concierge practices nationwide at all phases of their formation and operation. We work to proactively identify compliance issues, as we partner with you to help ensure your success. Attorney Matthew R Ludowig is an experienced Healthcare and Pharmaceutical lawyer who understands the ins and outs of the businesses that he helps.
Innova Health Law is located at 2100 West Loop South Ste 700 Houston, Texas 77027, right off of Interstate 610 and San Felipe Street. Call us today at (281) 936-9904 to get legal help from a medical concierge practice attorney.
Concierge practices have become an alternative to traditional medicine. Medical concierges offer a variety of services under a number of possible fee arrangements. Medical concierge practices have their own legal issues that may be unique from those that traditional medical practices encounter. You need an attorney who has specific experience in this area to provide you with effective legal help.
What is a Medical Concierge?
A medical concierge will provide you with an enhanced level of service in exchange for an annual fee. The intent is that you have a direct relationship with your personal physician. The medical concierge should result in more individualized attention and quicker appointments with a doctor when you need them. Providers typically spend more time with patients and get to know their health situation far better than traditional doctors, who may treat more people. In some cases, the annual subscription fee will cover all of the health services that you receive. Other medical concierges adopt an approach that includes an annual retainer and fee-for-service billing.
Legal and Regulatory Challenges in Concierge Medicine
Medical concierges may deal with a number of legal issues, including the following:
- Contracts: Medical concierges provide services to patients pursuant to a contract. The agreement must be drafted in a manner that complies with the law and protects the concierge.
- Marketing: The services cannot be marketed to patients in a manner that is unfair or deceptive under state law.
- Billing: The concierge may not double bill Medicaid for services that they are already being paid for by patients
- HIPAA: Patient privacy must be protected at all times under HIPAA, or else the concierge could face civil penalties
- Ownership: If the concierge is owned by non-physicians, there must be a Management Services agreement
Legal Issues Involved in Medical Care
Since there is a business relationship between the medical concierge and the customer, it follows that the concierge may need to terminate the patient at a certain point. However, there are laws that prohibit patient abandonment under certain circumstances. If the medical concierge terminates the patient before they have had the ability to find a doctor, they could be facing consequences.
Packaging and Fee Splitting Issues
The medical concierge may try to sell other services to the patient. Here, there are concerns with fee splitting and packaging issues. The concierge could be exceeding the scope of their practice, and they could run into regulatory consequences. An experienced medical concierge practice lawyer can help review your activities to determine whether you are staying within the scope of your practice and avoiding any issues with potential kickbacks.
Risk Management for Medical Concierge Practices
Given the wide range of legal issues that a medical concierge can face, it makes sense for your business to engage in proactive risk management. You must be familiar with potential risks ahead of time and take steps to mitigate or prevent them. For example, the concierge could have billing practices that may run afoul of federal law. They need to operate based on policies and procedures that ensure compliance. An experienced medical concierge practice attorney can assist your business with compliance reviews and staying ahead of potential problems.
Business Legal Advice for Medical Concierge Practices
A medical concierge is as much of a business as it is a medical practice. There are numerous business-related legal issues that medical concierges need to deal with through the help of an experienced lawyer. These include:
- Deciding on a business structure and drafting the necessary corporate documents
- Drafting and reviewing contracts with vendors and patients
- Corporate transactions in the event that the medical concierge decides to engage in a merger or acquisition
- Disputes with employees, customers or vendors
Contact a Medical Concierge Practice Law Firm Today
Learn more about how to deal with legal challenges surrounding the formation and operation of a medical concierge practice by contacting a healthcare attorney at Innova Health Law today. We offer free discovery calls to prospective clients, and you can schedule one by filling out an online contact form or by calling us today at (281) 936-9904.