DOH has tools to check on questionable health providers

Sometimes, even under the best of circumstances, a medical procedure takes a bad turn. But when an unlicensed medical practitioner is involved, it can be criminal.

That where the state’s Division of Medical Quality Assurance’s Bureau of Enforcement, comes in. With unlicensed medical activity on the rise in Florida, the state’s Department of Health has launched an outreach project to ensure people know about this unlawful activity and it’s potential dangers.

Hernando County, while not currently considered an area of high concern, has businesses susceptible to unlicensed practices. Among them are mental health, tattoo removal and hearing-aid industries.

“It isn’t a big problem yet,” said Ann-Gayle Ellis of the Department of Health in Hernando County. “But it has the potential to be.”

Florida’s Department of Health wants people to be wary and encourages them to choose their medical professionals carefully — the same way they might choose to deal with any business.

State officials ask people to be alert for activities that don’t seem appropriate, and to questionable actions immediately to the Bureau of Enforcement.

A website — www.flhealth source.gov — enables users to check the validity of a license for more than 200 different professions. Users can find out if a particular profession requires a license. Any suspicious activity, or follow-up questions, can be directed to a dedicated hot line: 1-877-HALT ULA.

It is illegal to practice mental health counseling without a license, to fit a hearing aid without a license or, in most cases, to offer tattoo removal services without a license, said Scott Flowers, of the Division of Medical Quality Assurance.

By logging on to flhealth source.gov, any medical license can be tracked — if it exists. And the website is easy to navigate, Flowers said.

Department of Health officials urge people to act on any suspicion. It won’t get a physician in trouble unless there is a problem, Flowers said, “and in most cases the licensed professionals appreciate the policing of their profession to drive out the bad actors.”

Considering the potential harm that might be caused by an unqualified hearing aid fitting, tattoo removal, plastic surgery or any other treatment without the knowledge and experience required of licensed professionals, there never is a reason to hesitate if something is suspicious.

According to Flowers, some red flags to look for include:

♦ Huge discounts on procedures, treatments or medical equipment such as hearing aids.

♦ Medical supplies, like contact lenses, sold inside convenience stores or beauty supply stores.

♦ Clinics or facilities that perform a range of unrelated services.

Some illicit medical professionals concoct ways to remain undetected, Flowers said. Their businesses can be tucked among other medical facilities, or customers might find their way to unlicensed professionals based on referrals from acquaintances or friends.

“You may not get the same positive experience,” Flowers said.

The bottom line, state health officials say, is that cracking down on unlicensed medical activity only happens with a community’s help. People become the enforcement department’s eyes and ears.

“If they can’t find the name they are looking for on the (website’s) list,” Flowers said, “we’ll send an investigator out to see if they are licensed.”

Those who are found not in compliance will receive a cease-and-desist order, be given an opportunity to correct the problem or, in some cases, be fined or arrested.

The enforcement officials’ message is simple. “We want them to check up on their practitioners,” Flowers said. “And we want them to notify us if there is something suspicious.”

It is also important for the medical community to know the state’s position, he said. “We want the unlicensed ones to know as a deterrent and we want the licensed ones to know so they can feel protected.”