Judge rules “exclusive remedy” provision unconstitutional By Tom Murphy In a recent ruling, Judge Jorge E. Cueto of Florida’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court ruled (in Florida Workers’ Advocates v. State of Florida) that the state’s workers’ compensation “exclusive remedy” provision is unconstitutional. Judge Cueto indicated that the workers’ compensation reforms of 2003 have “decimated” comp

The Board of Directors of the Orange County Medical Society (OCMS) is extremely pleased to announce the new Executive Leadership of the organization.  The OCMS has entered into an agreement with Cobbe Consulting & Management (CCM) for Fraser Cobbe to serve as the new Executive Director of the association. Mr. Cobbe has extensive experience in

RISK MANAGEMENT TIPS AND RESOURCES FROM MEDICAL PROTECTIVE American College of Emergency Physicians — EMS and Disaster  Preparedness The American College of Emergency Physicians’ (ACEP’s) EMS and Disaster Preparedness webpage currently focuses on the effects of bombings and other mass casualty events. The page provides numerous links to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s

By Matt Gracey According to statistics, millions of Americans file for bankruptcy every year.  For most people, the process is relatively simple and absolves them of the cost of most unsecured debts.  For physicians, it may not be quite that simple.  In addition to a seven year blemish on your credit history, bankruptcy may be

Tweet By Tom Murphy Cyber Breach has certainly become the he dark side of technology. Over the past year, we have seen a number of high-profile cases involving privacy breaches that included personal health information (AvMed), credit-card data (Target), and Social Security numbers, as well as other important personal information. Cyber, or privacy, breaches are

Throughout the world, companies are finding that data breaches have become as common as a cold but far more expensive to treat. With the exception of Germany, companies had to spend more on their investigations, notification and response when their sensitive and confidential information was lost or stolen. As revealed in the 2014 Cost of

John Commins, for HealthLeaders Media, April 28, 2014 The Florida Supreme Court's ruling this spring invalidating that state's 11-year-old cap on damages in medical malpractice suits marks the latest successful challenge to state laws across the nation that critics say enrich insurance companies but deny due process to grievously injured people. "It is unfortunately a

Tweet By Matt Gracey, Jr. On Thursday, March 13, 2014, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that a 2003 law limiting damages in medical-malpractice cases is unconstitutional. The long-awaited ruling came in the case of a Panhandle woman who died of complications after giving birth in 2006. The court ruled 5-2 that a cap on "non-economic"

 By Wes Caldwell Most physicians and surgeons carry some amount of disability insurance; however, the majority are very underinsured. Given their earning potential and the fact that the ability to practice is a doctor’s most valuable asset, the maximum amount available should be purchased. Without proper planning, a career-ending disability is the most financially devastating

Tweet Recently, we have received frantic phone calls from several of our clients that were caught off guard by unscheduled, random visits from Compliance Investigators with Florida’s Bureau of Compliance. This is clearly a sign of their determination to enforce the Workers’ Compensation laws and hold employers accountable, and with an increase in the number