Little Health Law Blog

Are You Prepared for the Changes to HIPAA’s Notice of Privacy Practices Requirement?

April 4, 2026 | Little Health Law

If your practice has not yet updated its HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP), action is overdue. Effective February 16, 2026, all HIPAA-covered health care providers are required to revise their NPP to reflect new federal rules governing the confidentiality of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment records under 42 C.F.R. Part 2 (“Part 2”). These changes stem from the CARES Act and a 2024 HHS final rule that aligned Part 2 more closely with HIPAA while preserving heightened protections for SUD patient records.

Importantly, this obligation is not limited to practices that specialize in SUD treatment. The updated NPP requirements apply to any HIPAA-covered health care provider that creates or maintains Part 2 records — including providers who receive SUD treatment records from other sources in the course of treating a patient, such as through care coordination, referrals, or integrated care arrangements. In other words, if your practice could receive records identifying a patient as having received SUD diagnosis, treatment, or a referral for treatment at a federally assisted program, your NPP must address Part 2’s requirements.

The changes require NPPs to include the following:

South Carolina Bill Regulating Non-Competes in Physician Employment Contracts

April 3, 2026 | Little Health Law

Our healthcare law firm works with many providers and healthcare practices to assist them in complying with federal, state, and local laws. Several of our clients in South Carolina have concerns about their non-compete in their employment agreement. South Carolina has proposed a bill to regulate non-competes in employment agreements for physicians. The bill does not apply to employment agreements of mid-level providers, including physician assistants and nurse practitioners, or other licensed healthcare personnel, such as registered nurses.

This blog post discusses the bill in the South Carolina General Assembly that proposes to eliminate non-competes and highlights other common provisions of concern found in physician employment agreements. As of March 30, 2026, the bill has passed the South Carolina House and is currently in the South Carolina Senate. If you are a South Carolina physician who has concerns about their employment agreement, is planning to negotiate their employment agreement, is about to enter a new employment agreement for a new job, 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.

House Bill 4767 (H. 4767) first declares that non-competes in physician contracts are against South Carolina public policy, and certain provisions in physician contracts are void and unenforceable. These provisions include non-competes, restrictions on physicians continuing to Continue reading ›

Georgia Bill Regulating Ketamine Clinics

March 31, 2026 | Little Health Law

Our healthcare law firm works with many providers and healthcare practices to assist them in complying with federal, state, and local laws. Several of our clients have asked if they can administer ketamine for off-label use, especially for treatment-resistant depression. Ketamine has started being administered in psychiatric practices and ketamine clinics, and states are starting to respond to the proliferation of these ketamine clinics. This blog post discusses a bill in the Georgia General Assembly that proposes to regulate ketamine clinics. As of March 30, 2026, the bill has passed both the Georgia House and Senate but has not yet become law. If you are planning to administer ketamine in your practice, would like to set up a ketamine clinic, 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.

House Bill 717 (HB 717) proposes to regulate facilities that administer “psychedelic-assisted treatment and therapy,” which includes ketamine that is administered intravenously. “Psychedelic-assisted treatment and therapy” is defined as any treatment or therapy using psychedelic, dissociative, or other related substances that can produce hallucinations or other similar feelings. This bill also covers other treatments similar to ketamine, including Spravato®. The Georgia Medical Board would also be required to Continue reading ›

Starting a Telemedicine Practice

March 26, 2026 | Little Health Law

Our healthcare and business law firm works with providers who would like to start their own telemedicine practice, especially since the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our firm has previously posted several blogs about telemedicine practice, such as UPDATE: Can You Create a Patient-Provider Relationship Through Telemedicine? on December 18, 2025, which gives an updated overview on how a patient-provider relationship can be created in Georgia through telemedicine. This blog post discusses important initial considerations that providers should consider before starting a telemedicine practice. If you are starting a telemedicine 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 Telemedicine Laws Normally State that a Provider Is Practicing Medicine in the State Where the Patient Resides.

States have laws governing telemedicine, and statutes, such as in Florida, for example, normally state that providers are considered to be practicing medicine in the state where the patient resides. Accordingly, for a practitioner to be conducting telemedicine in a state, the practitioner will need to have Continue reading ›

If You Are Renting Space with Another Practice

March 24, 2026 | Little Health Law

To save costs while starting a business, practices may sublease or share space with another practice. This may involve subleasing an entire office space or renting a room from another practice. However, subleasing or renting a room carries legal risks and additional compliance considerations. This blog covers several compliance concerns if you are subleasing space from another practice or renting space from another practice. If you are starting a practice or med spa and plan to sublease or rent space from another 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.

Providers Need to Comply with HIPAA and Ensure Their Patient Information Is Not Shared with the Practice in the Same Space.

HIPAA requires practitioners to safeguard patient information. The HIPAA Security Rule has requirements for sharing spaces with other medical practices, and these requirements include not disclosing patient information to the other practice and ensuring Continue reading ›

Esthetician Scope of Practice

March 21, 2026 | Little Health Law

Our 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 hire estheticians to perform certain procedures within their med spa. Estheticians have a defined scope of practice under state law, and having estheticians perform procedures outside their scope of practice carries legal risk. This blog covers some main points about an esthetician’s scope of practice, particularly in Georgia. If you are an esthetician considering to open up a med spa, planning to hire an esthetician as part of your med spa, 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.

Estheticians Are Prohibited from Performing Medical Aesthetics Procedures Under Georgia Law.

Med spas have been recently advertising “medical aesthetics” services. Georgia law does not define “medical aesthetics,” but medical aesthetics can refer to dermal fillers, Botox injections, micro needling, and chemical peels. The Georgia Composite Medical Board has Continue reading ›

Georgia Non-Competes that Prevent an Employee from Working for a Competitor “In Any Capacity” Are Overbroad, Says Georgia Court of Appeals

March 19, 2026 | Little Health Law

Our healthcare and business law firm guides many medical practices and physicians through employment matters. A question we are often asked is “is the non-compete enforceable?” That question is never easy to answer, it depends on a mix of law, facts, and practical considerations. Generally speaking, under the Georgia Restrictive Covenant Act, non-competes are enforceable if they are reasonable as to duration, scope, and geographic area. The subject of this post focuses on the question of “scope.” Specifically, Georgia courts have made it clear that a non-compete is unreasonable and overbroad if it prevents an employee from providing “any services” to a competitor or working for a competitor “in any capacity.” This blog post further explains what courts find overbroad about this language. If you need assistance with employment matters 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.

In 2022, a District Court from the Southern District of Georgia reviewed a non-compete provision that prevented the employee from working “in any capacity” with a competitor. The District Court found the non-compete unreasonably broad and unenforceable, and stated:

As recently explained by the Georgia Court of Appeals, “[a]lthough O.C.G.A. § 13-8-56(3) states that ‘[t]he scope of competition restricted is measured by the business of the employer[,]’ covenants that do not list specific limits on the type of activity, and effectively bar former employees from working in any capacity for competitors, have been deemed overbroad and unreasonable.” Burbach v. Motorsports of Conyers, LLC, 363 Ga.App. 188, 871 S.E.2d 63, 66-67 (2022) (quoting Carson v. Obor Holding Co., LLC, 318 Ga.App. 645, 734 S.E.2d 477, 483 (2012)).

Georgia Mirrors Federal Telemedicine Extension

March 3, 2026 | Little Health Law

Our healthcare and business law firm advises many physicians and medical practices on compliantly using telemedicine to provide medical care to patients. Typically, the Federal Ryan Haight Act requires at minimum an in-person evaluation before prescribing controlled substances. Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, however, the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) and the Health and Human Services Department (“HHS”) have permitted flexibility to that rule by allowing all DEA-registered practitioners to prescribe schedule II-V controlled substances via telemedicine. The COVID-era flexibilities have been scheduled to end many times now, but the DEA and HHS continue to extend the flexibilities. Most recently, the DEA and HHS issued the Fourth Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications, extending the flexibilities until December 31, 2026. For each extension thus far, the Georgia Medical Board has also permitted parallel flexibilities in Georgia. This post discusses the Georgia Medical Board’s current stance on telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing controlled substances. If you would like to discuss using telemedicine in a medical practice or 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.

Georgia’s General Tele-Prescribing Rule

Georgia Rule 360-3-.02 defines Unprofessional Conduct to include: “Prescribing controlled substances . . . and/or dangerous drugs . . . for a patient based solely on Continue reading ›

Establishing the Patient-Provider Relationship Through Telemedicine

February 24, 2026 | Little Health Law

Our healthcare and business law firm advises many physicians and medical practices on compliantly using telemedicine to provide medical care to patients. Not only are there parameters around practicing medicine via telemedicine and prescribing via telemedicine (often called teleprescribing), there always remains the requirement to establish a patient-provider relationship before providing care or prescribing for any patient. Each state has different telemedicine rules, in addition to Federal tele-prescribing rules, so it is important for providers to consult their states’ requirements, including requirements on establishing a patient-provider relationship via telemedicine (if permitted). This post discusses considerations around establishing a patient-provider relationship through telemedicine. If you would like to discuss using telemedicine in a medical practice or 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.

Some initial questions that should be answered when considering using telemedicine are:

Can a patient-provider relationship be established via telemedicine?
If so, does that require a synchronous, audio-visual visit?
If no, is an asynchronous tool, like a questionnaire or screening tool, sufficient to establish a patient-provider relationship?

Many states now permit a patient-provider relationship to be established via telemedicine, so that typically requires answering Continue reading ›

Two Key Facts About the Florida Health Care Clinic License

February 13, 2026 | Little Health Law

Our healthcare and business law firm works with many providers who wish to create an entity under which they provide professional nursing or physician services. Before providing professional services through an entity, it is important to consider your state’s laws and rules governing the provision of professional services. Florida, for instance, passed the Health Care Clinic Act (“Act”) in 2003 and has made many revisions thereto over the years. The purpose of the Act was to strengthen the regulation of health care clinics “to prevent significant cost and harm to consumers” by “provid[ing] for the licensure, establishment, and enforcement of basic standards for health care clinics and [] provid[ing] administrative oversight by the Agency for Health Care Administration.” Fla. Stat. § 400.990. This post addresses two key components of the Health Care Clinic Act: (1) what qualifies as a “clinic,” and (2) what exemptions are there to the licensure requirement? If you would like to discuss ways to structure your practice 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) What qualifies as a “clinic”?

According to Fla. Stat. § 400.9905(4), “‘Clinic’ means an entity where health care services are provided to individuals and which tenders charges for reimbursement for such services, including a mobile clinic and a portable equipment provider.” “Tenders charges for reimbursement” specifically refers to submitting claims to third-party payors (such as Medicare, Medicaid, or commercial payors). If the practice is cash-only and does not bill to any third-party payors, then the practice does not qualify as a clinic and thus does not need licensure under the Health Care Clinic Act. The Act also does not contemplate (i.e., specifically include or exclude) practices that only provide telehealth services, so it is important to consider with counsel whether a telehealth-only practice is considered a clinic under the Act.