Monsanto is having a rough week.

First, on Friday, a California jury ordered the chemical behemoth to pay $289 million to a school groundskeeper who got terminal cancer after using Roundup, determining that the active ingredient in the popular weed killer, glyphosate, contributed to the plaintiff's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The functional medicine community and environmentalists everywhere exalted the news as validation of what many have known or suspected about the nature of glyphosate for years.

Then, days later on Wednesday, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released test results showing that glyphosate is present in 43 out of 45 cereals tested by an independent laboratory, including Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Quaker Oats, and a host of other brands with both organic and conventional ingredients.

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the Monsanto weed killer that is the most widely used pesticide in the United States. Its status as a carcinogen is disputed. The...

The universe works in funny ways.

Recently, two different providers asked me how to reduce their risk associated with calling themselves "Doctor" without holding degrees or licenses as a Medical Doctor (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO).

Both hold credentials that entitled them (in their states) to be called "doctor." One is a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) and one is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine (D.O.M.). And they wanted to know how to avoid confusion and make sure that the public and their patients knew they are not an MD or a DO.

I address the easy, one-step solution to make sure they follow the rules, in this week's video:

Once you’ve watched, I’d love to hear from you.

What new insights did you glean?

Do you know a provider that miiiiiiiiiiiiight need this reminder?

Send me an email or join the conversation over on our Facebook page.

Or schedule your free 20-minute strategy session to assess the legal health of your practice....

"What do I do? I have a patient threatening me with a lawsuit. Oh, and I am a sole proprietor." -- A recent questioner

While those two statements have different remedies, they are closely related for one giant reason: if that patient prevails in the lawsuit, they may seek to recover their judgment from this provider's personal assets.

Transcript of video follows:

"Hi, I have a functional medicine business and I am operating as a sole proprietor, which means I don't have an LLC or any kind of corporation or any other kind of entity. Is that okay, Scott? Can I do that?"

Hi, I'm Scott Rattigan, the founder of Functional Lawyer and today we've got a Legal Quick Hitter for you, which is where we answer the most frequently asked questions that we see at Functionallawyer.com. Now this is one that I haven't seen that frequently, but it does come up enough to make me concerned. So no person should be operating any kind of business as a sole proprietor. It's too easy to...

If you are currently "in-network" for a variety of insurance carriers and also seeing functional medicine clients through your own practice "out of network" then you don't want to miss this Legal Quick Hitter.

Communication is key! With most things in the legal and business world, you can save yourself a lot of headaches if you communicate appropriately ahead of time. This especially is true for insurance companies.

It is usually OK to see patients in your functional medicine practice as an out-of-network provider while also seeing patients in network with your current employer. However, you must notify the insurance company that you are doing so. Otherwise, a lot of red flags go up for fraud.

Luckily, it's about the communication, and you can notify the carriers in advance (or, um, now) if you intend to maintain a conventional job (accepting insurance) while your practice grows (cash only). The letter you'll need is called "Notice to Insurance Carrier".

It's a simple step...

Great news out of the Sunshine State this year for providers wishing to expand their telemedicine practice into Florida, legally.

Effective July 1, 2019, providers may now register with the Florida Department of Health and open their telemedicine patient base and marketing efforts to the 21.3 million people in our country's 3rd most populous state.

You might be thinking: " I am already practicing telemedicine on Florida-based patients and have been doing it for years. What do you mean this is new?"

Well, if that is the case, you've been violating the law previously but you haven't been caught yet. And, if you are still seeing Florida patients without a Florida license, and you haven't registered with the state health department, then you are still practicing without a license in Florida.

But, I created a handy guide to help walk you through the process of registering in Florida and what you have to do to maintain eligibility and compliance.

It's free and you can get...