Acknowledging the expertise of Jacksonville health care lawyers, the Jacksonville Bar Association Board of Governors formed a JBA Health Law Section March 10.
The board appointed Ann Bittinger, of The Bittinger Law Firm, the section chair.
“Jacksonville has a wonderfully sophisticated health care industry,” said Bittinger, a former in house counsel and health law attorney with The Nemours Foundation. “A sophisticated industry requires a sophisticated bar of lawyers who know the industry intimately.”
Health law includes advising physicians, hospitals and other providers about the laws and regulations governing the highly regulated health care industry. State and federal laws on patient dumping, medical information privacy, professional licensure, patient referral prohibitions, tort reform, tax exemption and clinical research make up health law.
“A car salesperson can pay referral fees to people who directs business her way,” Bittinger said. “A physician can go to jail for paying for referrals. Health care is like no other industry and health law is like no other area of the law.”
The JBA had 24 sections, but none of them addressed health law. The Broward County Bar Association has a health law section. Palm Beach County’s Bar has a Medical/Legal section.
The American Health Lawyers Association is the largest health law organization in the United States, with approximately 9,000 members. Bittinger was recently nominated Chair of the Physician Practice Group of the AHLA.
The Florida Bar has a health law section with approximately 1,100 members, 70 of whom practice in Duval County, according to the section website.
“The AHLA and Florida Bar health law section membership numbers show that health lawyers are interested in learning from each other” Bittinger said. “Health law is so complex that it helps to bounce ideas off colleagues. The section can provide support and continuing education opportunities for section members.”
Noting Jacksonville’s sophisticated health care market, Bittinger pointed out the Mayo Clinic and Nemours Children’s Clinic.
“Those two organizations are premier large physician practices with national reputations,” Bittinger said. “Jacksonville is very lucky to have them here.”
Add to that the religious, for-profit and University of Florida teaching program at Shands Jacksonville and you have a very unique health care community, Bittinger said.
Attorneys interested in joining the section can call the JBA at 399-4486 or choose the health law section on the JBA section preference cards, which will be sent to members by August.
Bittinger said she plans to organize a CLE in the fall and a number of section luncheons throughout the year.