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GettyImages-1296010644-e1689271225783-300x193The Georgia Composite Medical Board (“GCMB” or “Board”) issued its July newsletter, covering new licensing requirements, legislative changes, a refresher on telemedicine and compact-physician rules, and a preview of rules to come in FY27. Below is a summary of some items that are relevant to Georgia-licensed physicians, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), as well as the practices that employ or collaborate with them. If you would like to discuss how any of these updates may affect your license, practice, or compliance obligations, you may contact our healthcare and business law firm at (404) 685-1662 (Atlanta) or (706) 722-7886 (Augusta), or by email, info@littlehealthlaw.com. You may also learn more about our law firm by visiting www.littlehealthlaw.com.

(1) New Fingerprint and FCVS Requirements for First-Time Physician Applicants

First-time, full physician applicants who have never previously held a Georgia medical license must now complete a fingerprint and criminal background check through both the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) and the FBI, along with Continue reading ›

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Untitled-design-38-300x200Our healthcare and business law firm advises many physicians, advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and medical practices that utilize nurse protocol agreements on Georgia regulatory compliance. A question we frequently receive from urgent care clinics and other episodic-care practices is whether the quarterly physician evaluation requirement under a nurse protocol agreement obligates a practice to recall a patient who received only a single, short-term controlled substance prescription for an acute condition, with no ongoing course of treatment. The Georgia Composite Medical Board (“GCMB”) recently addressed this scenario directly in response to an inquiry from our firm, and this post walks through that clarification and what it means for practices. If you would like to discuss this clarification or would like to discuss this blog post, you may contact our healthcare and business law firm at (404) 685-1662 (Atlanta) or (706) 722-7886 (Augusta), or by email, info@littlehealthlaw.com. You may also learn more about our law firm by visiting www.littlehealthlaw.com.

(1) The Quarterly Evaluation Requirement

Under O.C.G.A. § 43-34-25(c)(9) and GCMB Rule 360-32-.02(5)(d), a delegating or designated physician who authorizes an APRN to prescribe controlled substances pursuant to a nurse protocol agreement must ensure that the patient receives Continue reading ›

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Untitled-design-37-300x221Our healthcare and business law firm works with providers who are running their own practices. Clients have asked us recently how they can terminate the patient-physician relationship with their patients without violating state law or their ethical obligations. This blog post discusses important considerations that providers should consider when discharging a patient from their practice. If you are trying to discharge patients from your practice or would like to discuss this blog post, you may contact our healthcare law firm at (404) 685-1662 (Atlanta) or (706) 722-7886 (Augusta), or by email, info@littlehealthlaw.com. You may also learn more about our law firm by visiting www.littlehealthlaw.com.

State Law and Ethics Rules Govern How a Provider Can Lawfully and Ethically Terminate the Patient-Provider Relationship.

States have laws governing how providers can terminate the patient-provider relationship. If states do not have such laws, then the Ethics Rules from the American Medical Association (AMA) are a good guidepost. The AMA Ethics Rules state that when terminating the patient-provider relationship, the provider must (1) notify the patient or patient’s decisionmaker long enough in advance to allow Continue reading ›

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Screenshot-2026-09-03-144758-300x199Our healthcare law firm works with many providers and healthcare practices who are facing an investigation from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This blog covers recent enforcement trends where the DEA has been investigating ketamine sellers that sell ketamine for at-home use. If you are being investigated by the DEA, the DEA has approached your practice, or you would like to discuss this blog post, you may contact our healthcare law firm at (404) 685-1662 (Atlanta) or (706) 722-7886 (Augusta), or by email, info@littlehealthlaw.com. You may also learn more about our law firm by visiting www.littlehealthlaw.com.

As we have discussed in prior blog posts, ketamine has been administered off-label to treat patients with treatment-resistant depression, and ketamine has gained popularity recently as a possible treatment option for treatment-resistant depression. Ketamine is a schedule III controlled substance, so ketamine is within the DEA’s and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s purview. In June and July 2026, the FDA sent warning letters to Continue reading ›

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are-you-taking-too-many-supplements-1440x810-1-e1692129166978-300x169Our healthcare law firm works with many providers and healthcare practices who are facing an investigation from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This blog covers the DEA’s storage and recordkeeping regulations if you are storing or administering controlled substances as part of your practice. This blog does not cover the DEA regulations for dispensing controlled substances from your practice, which is prescribing and giving patients controlled substances for at-home use, similar to what a pharmacy does. If you are being investigated by the DEA for possibly violating the DEA’s storage and recordkeeping regulations, the DEA has approached your practice, or you would like to discuss this blog post, you may contact our healthcare law firm at (404) 685-1662 (Atlanta) or (706) 722-7886 (Augusta), or by email, info@littlehealthlaw.com. You may also learn more about our law firm by visiting www.littlehealthlaw.com.

The DEA has implemented storage and recordkeeping regulations to protect against theft and diversion of controlled substances. The DEA requires Schedule II-V controlled substances to be stored in a “securely locked, substantially constructed cabinet.” As another requirement to protect against theft and diversion of controlled substances, the DEA prohibits practices and Continue reading ›

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Our healthcare law firm works with many providers and healthcare practices who are facing an investigation from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This blog covers how the DEA adjudicates cases against healthcare practitioners being investigated for potential DEA violations. If you are being investigated by the DEA, the DEA has approached your practice, or you would like to discuss this blog post, you may contact our healthcare law firm at (404) 685-1662 (Atlanta) or (706) 722-7886 (Augusta), or by email, info@littlehealthlaw.com. You may also learn more about our law firm by visiting www.littlehealthlaw.com.

Federal law allows the DEA to suspend or revoke a practitioner’s DEA registration for several reasons, including if the practitioner has committed an act that would render the practitioner’s DEA registration “inconsistent with the public interest.” The DEA determines what the public interest is based on a variety of factors, including (1) the recommendation of Continue reading ›

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opioid-painkillers-crisis-and-drug-abuse-concept-o-49X49YX-e1676319930781-300x169Our healthcare law firm works with many providers and healthcare practices who are facing an investigation from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This blog covers how the DEA can investigate practitioners who had their DEA registration application denied. If you are being investigated by the DEA, need assistance filing your DEA registration application, the DEA has denied your registration application, or you would like to discuss this blog post, you may contact our healthcare law firm at (404) 685-1662 (Atlanta) or (706) 722-7886 (Augusta), or by email, info@littlehealthlaw.com. You may also learn more about our law firm by visiting www.littlehealthlaw.com.

To prescribe controlled substances, practitioners must apply for a registration with the DEA. The DEA has the authority under federal law to suspend or revoke a practitioner’s DEA registration if the practitioner materially falsified any application for a DEA registration, including renewal applications. A falsity becomes material if Continue reading ›

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HealthcareImage_062618-700x525-1-e1682709849274-300x189Our healthcare and business law firm advises physicians and other licensed healthcare providers on professional licensing matters, including medical board investigations and disciplinary proceedings. For North Carolina licensees navigating an active investigation by the North Carolina Medical Board (“NCMB” or “the Board”), one of the most pressing questions is what the process could ultimately mean for your license. This post outlines the range of possible outcomes under the Board’s framework—from no action at all to public disciplinary measures—and identifies some of the considerations that bear on how a case may be resolved. If you would like to discuss a medical board matter or would like to discuss this blog post, you may contact our healthcare and business law firm at (404) 685-1662 (Atlanta) or (706) 722-7886 (Augusta), or by email, info@littlehealthlaw.com. You may also learn more about our law firm by visiting www.littlehealthlaw.com.

(1) Three Categories of Outcome

The NCMB resolves investigations in three general ways: no formal action, private Board action, or public Board action. The outcome in any individual case depends on the unique facts and circumstances of that case, as well as any mitigating or aggravating factors the Board considers relevant—including, for example, whether the licensee has prior history with the Board.

It is worth noting that the Board’s statistics offer some context: on average, approximately 60 percent of matters investigated are closed with Continue reading ›

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Untitled-design-36-300x191Our healthcare law firm works with many providers and healthcare practices to assist them in complying with federal, state, and local laws. In particular, our med spa clients often ask whether they can offer peptides as part of their practice. Peptides have garnered recent popularity among med spas, but offering peptides also carries legal risk. In a prior blog post, our firm wrote that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it would reconsider certain peptides for inclusion on the 503A Bulks List. This blog post discusses the results of this meeting that occurred from July 23-24, 2026. If you need assistance setting up a med spa to offer peptides or would like to discuss this blog post, you may contact our healthcare law firm at (404) 685-1662 (Atlanta) or (706) 722-7886 (Augusta), or by email, info@littlehealthlaw.com. You may also learn more about our law firm by visiting www.littlehealthlaw.com.

Background of FDA Announcement

On April 15, 2026, the FDA announced it would hold a meeting from July 23-24, 2026, to discuss popular peptides, including BPC-157, TB-500, KPV, and MOTs-C, for inclusion on the 503A Bulks List. If these peptides are included on the 503A Bulks List, this means that the FDA has reclassified them into Continue reading ›

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Orange-Simple-Floral-Border-A2-Landscape-2-300x212Georgia med spas, IV hydration clinics, and other wellness practices should be aware that the Georgia Composite Medical Board (“GCMB” or “Board”) has begun conducting unannounced site visits at these types of facilities across the state. The Board’s action follows a series of news reports examining oversight of alternative medicine and wellness businesses in Georgia, and the GCMB’s Executive Director, Jason Jones, has publicly confirmed that inspectors have already visited practices in both rural and urban areas of the state, with additional regulatory and legislative changes expected to follow. If you would like to discuss your practice’s compliance with Georgia Composite Medical Board requirements or how to prepare for a potential inspection, you may contact our healthcare and business law firm at (404) 685-1662 (Atlanta) or (706) 722-7886 (Augusta), or by email, info@littlehealthlaw.com. You may also learn more about our law firm by visiting www.littlehealthlaw.com.

(1) The Board Is Actively Inspecting, and Plans to Continue

The Board has indicated it intends to keep conducting unannounced visits. The Board has also indicated it plans to (a) put the industry on notice regarding existing licensure and scope-of-practice requirements, and (b) seek new legislation that would impose additional legal limits and registration requirements on med spas and IV treatment facilities. Practices that have not already reviewed their Continue reading ›

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