Kansas and Missouri Professional Licensing Attorney Danielle Sanger Answers: What Could Jeopardize My Physical Therapist’s License and What Should I Do about Threatened Discipline?
Physical therapists often contact me with concerns about misconduct allegations that may threaten their license to engage in their livelihood. As a physical therapist in Kansas or Missouri, your license to practice is the product of your dedication to education and hard work—but is only allowed by your licensure. As a result of your perseverance and license, you now have the ability to engage in a meaningful, respected, and lucrative career. But what if your physical therapy is threatened by suspension or revocation? You could lose your ability to practice and provide for your family if you are not aware of the sort of misconduct that can result in a psychology license suspension in Kansas or Missouri.
If you are licensed physical therapist in Kansas or Missouri facing professional discipline, you cannot go through the administrative hearing alone. Instead, call attorney Sanger today at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation with an attorney experienced dealing with the administrative process required to defend you. Your career is simply worth too much to go it alone.
Misconduct Examples
Obviously, the first step to avoiding any threat to your license is to not engage in misconduct. Unfortunately, physical therapy clients sometimes call me about types of misconduct that they were unaware of. As a result, I have come up with the following list of some of the most common misconduct allegations that I have seen while representing physical therapy clients in Kansas and Missouri.
Revealing client or patient’s personal or treatment information without prior consent;
Engaging in a sexual relationship with a client in the midst of the therapist/client relationship;
Taking, giving, or soliciting referral fees from other medical providers;
Failing to adequately supervise employees working under the physical therapist’s license or unlawfully delegating a physical therapist’s duties to a person unqualified or uncertified to perform those duties;
Promoting goods, services, drugs, applicants or any other device for the physical therapist’s personal gain;
Defrauding patients or insurance companies by providing excessive or unnecessary treatments;
Filing false insurance claims;
Engaging in false advertising or exaggerating qualifications in advertising;
Failing to keep adequate patient records;
Overcharging for physical therapy services or continuing services beyond what is necessary to help a patient.
The Administrative Hearing
For physical therapists in Kansas and Missouri, a discipline hearing will be initiated based on an initial allegation of misconduct and some fact-finding by the administrative agency. Any one of the above allegations, if proven, is sufficient to suspend or revoke a physical therapy license. Additional penalties, such as fines and requirements for additional training, are also possible.
Too many physical therapists misunderstand this step in the process and just accept whatever penalty is proposed. My experience suggests that presenting a vigorous challenge to the evidence presented at an administrative hearing almost always reduces the penalties from what was initially proposed and frequently results in a complete dismissal of charges.
Contact an Experienced Kansas and Missouri Licensing Attorney Now
You deserve to be practicing physical therapy without the fear of administrative discipline. Contacting an experienced licensing attorney to help you through this process can mean the difference between getting back to your clients and a suspension or revocation of your license.
If you are a physical therapist in Kansas or Missouri and are worried about misconduct costing you your career, call attorney Sanger now.
Kansas and Missouri Professional Licensing Attorney Danielle Sanger is prepared to advocate for your best interests and defend your livelihood and career. Call Attorney Sanger at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation with an attorney experienced dealing with physical therapy licensing issues.