IPN Florida: Intervention Project for Nurses

Nurse and Patient at a Hospital

What is the Florida Impairment Program for Licensed Nurses All About? Our Florida Healthcare Attorneys Explain What You Need to Know

For some Florida nurses, entering into the state’s Intervention Project for Nurses (IPN) is mandatory. For others, IPN is voluntary and often suggested by an employer or the Florida Board of Nursing (BON) as a way for nurses to avoid licensing action.

What you may not know, though, is that a multiyear monitoring agreement with IPN Florida could still result in action taken against your nursing license.

It can be difficult to maintain the often intrusive requirements that IPN Florida will place on you. 

And a monitoring agreement also can be very expensive — with participants spending upward of $30,000 of their own money to be in the program.

IPN Florida is not right for everyone, and it is not your only option.

The key is to consult the Florida healthcare license defense attorneys at Chapman Law Group as soon as possible — ideally before reporting the violation — to prepare your defense and negotiate options before licensing action commences and IPN Florida is made mandatory.

How Our Florida Healthcare Lawyers Help Nurses with IPN and Other Impairment Matters

Nurses often contact IPN Florida out of fear that they will face formal licensing action if they do not report to IPN Florida.

Nurses should not contact IPN Florida without first discussing their options with a Florida health care attorney. In some cases, we are able to help nurses avoid IPN Florida and formal licensing action.

We have several full-time professional licensing attorneys who work with nurses daily regarding IPN Florida and other impairment matters. Our Florida health care lawyers are experienced in helping nurses resolve allegations of drug diversion, positive drug screens, DUIs and other impairment matters.

We use three factors when helping nurses decide whether IPN Florida is a good option for avoiding licensing action:

      • Do you have an alcohol or drug addiction?
      • Is this your first offense?
      • Are you able to prove to the relevant board that:
        • this was an isolated situation;
        • you are safe to practice;
        • you would not benefit from a period of monitoring; and 
        • you do not need active supervision?

Chapman Law Group is prepared to work through these critical steps with you and, if possible, prove to the relevant Board that you are capable of continuing without an intervention.

Sara Bazzigaluppi is a Florida-based regulatory and licensing healthcare defense attorneys. She discusses IPN and PRN with CLG founder Ronald W. Chapman Sr.

The High Financial and Professional Costs of IPN

The costs of maintaining a compliant status in IPN Florida are steep.

The nurse is responsible to pay drug tests, therapy sessions, group counseling sessions, collection fees, and visits with addiction professionals and other physicians.

Participants report that they spend up to $30,000 of their own money through the course of a three-year monitoring agreement.

If you are in the IPN program but leave because you can no longer afford it, your name will be reported to the Department of Health as “non-compliant.” This can lead to formal action against the nurse’s license.

In most cases, it may be more cost effective to hire a Florida healthcare attorney. Our lawyers at Chapman Law Group can help determine if IPN Florida is your best option; in some cases, we may be able to avoid IPN costs altogether, while allowing you to maintain your nursing license.

If IPN Florida is your best option, our attorneys can help negotiate a favorable agreement that is less restrictive and less expensive than standard IPN Florida agreements. We also may also be able to help you find a private treatment that is less expensive and still is sufficient to help you maintain your nursing license.

We understand that attorney costs can discourage some nurses from seeking legal representation, particularly if the nurse recently lost his/her job as a result of the impairment allegations.

However, a negative licensing action is often a higher price than having a Florida health care lawyer on your side.

Not only can the immediate cost of sanctions be several thousands of dollars, but a negative action on your nursing license can lead to job loss.

When You’re Facing IPN Troubles, Turn to Your Advocates — the Florida Healthcare Attorneys at Chapman Law Group

For 35 years, our nursing professionals at the Miami and Sarasota offices Chapman Law Group have worked to defend the license, freedom and livelihood of nurses like you.

We work with nurses and other licensed healthcare professionals throughout the entire state of Florida — from West Palm Beach to Tampa/St. Petersburg, from Orlando to Jacksonville, and from Gainesville to Fort Lauderdale/Broward County.

Contact us today for a consultation, and let our Florida health care attorneys work on your case. 

Need an Attorney? Contact us now!
or Call us at: 1 (877) 234-5911

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