Would You Pay $20K for Illegal Advice?

telehealth telemedicine Jul 14, 2022

If someone offered you a business plan for $20,000 that could make you $100,000 in the future, but it’s illegal, would you take it?

That’s exactly the situation I came across recently in a webinar, and, believe it or not, many people chose to do it. This continues to be shocking to me because, in my opinion, illegal actions are never worth the risk. You could lose your business, your license, and even your freedom -- aside from the fact that choosing to break the law is highly immoral and completely unethical.

The truth is that you can be successful without breaking the law. We've done it. Lots of my clients have done it, and so can you.

Why Risk Everything?

Since I attended the aforementioned webinar, I've been sitting on this one for a while because I didn't want to react emotionally, but I think now’s the time for me to address this. In essence, this person and others (who I will not name) are saying that it was okay to break the law because the risks of being caught "are low" and that there's a chance for the reward to be great. Their main method of earning this money was to illegally practice outside your state. This sounds profitable on paper, but it’s actually not any better than operating legally. You’d likely be able to only have 300 patients per year at the very most. And, the risk to reward ratio is too far towards risk to be worth it. That, plus the fact that they were asking for $20,000 makes it not worth pursuing at all.

More Patients...the Legal Way!

I have good news for you. There are doubtlessly at least 300 people that you can serve in your state; you just have to find them. Many states also offer programs for out of state practices to be able to practice legally in their state with a few restrictions. That’s why it’s incredibly shocking to hear this advice from someone who should know the correct thing to do. Note that many people try to practice nationally by calling themselves “consultants,” rather than "doctors," but many of them are actually practicing medicine illegally if this is the case.

Don't Be a Criminal

I try not to do a lot of scare tactics, but practicing without a license is a criminal offense in every single state. It also opens you up to civil liability. Since there’s a safe way to do it legally, there’s no justifiable reason to break the law. You got into this field to help people, not to do shady dealings and commit crimes. You have come too far to allow yourself to stoop this low.

Have You Heard?

There’s a book coming out soon that you can preorder on how to practice telemedicine safely. It outlines how to get around 16 special purpose telemedicine licenses in different states. There are only 16 states that allow you to do that right now, but many more are coming. You can get more medical licenses through the interstate medical license, which currently covers thirty-four states. Reach out to me anytime to preorder.

Once Again...

In conclusion, please, please don't practice illegally around the country. Please don't try to do so by calling yourself a consultant. It's lazy and illegal, and I don't want you to fall into that trap. There's plenty of ways to practice safely, in your own state or by obtaining the proper license in other states. If you need help getting there, you can come talk to me and I'll walk you through the process, or you can purchase the book that will walk you through the process even better as it lists out all the statutes and all the states that are relevant to the practice of telemedicine.

For updates on telehealth, protecting your license, and more, continue to follow us at Functional Lawyer, and thanks for reading!

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