As a health care provider in the Commonwealth of Virginia, The Virginia Department of Health Professions does more than just issue your professional license. They are responsible for establishing and maintaining acceptable standards of professional practice and to take disciplinary action when there is an allegation that licensed health care providers do not practice in accordance with those standards. The most frequent of those allegations are substandard care, diversion of prescription drugs for an illegal purpose, sexual misconduct, improper advertising, inadequate record keeping, unsanitary conditions, unprofessional conduct, conviction of a felony or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, and an adverse licensure action in another jurisdiction. Allegations of misconduct make their way to the various licensing boards through a variety of sources including employees, patients, hospitals, other licensed professionals, law enforcement agencies, courts, individual concerned citizens and other state and federal regulatory agencies.
The attorneys at Goodman Allen & Filetti have counseled and represented hundreds of licensed healthcare professionals throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia who have come under investigation by their respective licensing boards. With their extensive knowledge of the laws and regulations governing the various professions, the investigative and regulatory processes and the informal and formal conference proceedings, the attorneys at Goodman Allen & Filetti can provide their clients with the most effective and efficient approach to their unique situation.
Having counseled health care providers for many years, our attorneys are aware that there are clinicians who may be impaired by physical or mental disability, or who suffer from chemical dependency. The attorneys at Goodman Allen & Filetti work closely with the Health Practitioners' Intervention Program (HPIP) (http://www.vahpip.org/) to increase the number of practitioners who will seek this avenue of assistance as an alternative to disciplinary action, thereby, enhancing public protection, as well as providing an alternative for the practitioner. For those practitioners who may be eligible, our attorneys can provide assistance in initiating the necessary steps to obtain a stay of disciplinary action to allow the practitioner to focus on impairment. The Health Practitioners' Intervention Program is open to any person, who is or was licensed, certified, registered, or an applicant, who is otherwise fully eligible for licensure, certification, or registration.
Virginia Department of Health Professions (http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/) includes the following 13 separate and autonomous health regulatory boards each regulating a specific group of health care professionals:
Board of Medicine
http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/medicine/default.htm
Board of Nursing
http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/nursing/default.htm
Board of Dentistry
http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/dentistry/default.htm
Board of Optometry
http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/optometry/default.htm
Board of Pharmacy
http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/pharmacy/default.htm
Board of Nursing Home Administration
http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/nha/default.htm
Board of Veterinary Medicine
http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/vet/default.htm
Board of Psychology
http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/psychology/default.htm
Board of Physical Therapy
http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/PhysicalTherapy/default.htm
Board of Social Work, Board of Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family therapists and Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioners
http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/counseling/default.htm
Board of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/aud/default.htm
Board of Funeral Home Directors and Embalmers
http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/funeral/default.htm
In addition to health care professionals, our attorneys represent and defend a wide array of other professionals. Among the professions we have represented are, accountants, engineers, architects, and attorneys.
The attorneys at Goodman Allen & Filetti are sensitive to the demands of their clients' profession, the importance of their reputation as well as the need for legal representation of the highest quality. Our attorneys offer the necessary expertise and experience to assist our clients in obtaining the best possible result under these difficult circumstances.