Practice Issues & Opinions
- When a License/Registration is Required
- Assistive Personnel/Delegation of Duties
- Miscellaneous Practice Matters
- Corporations/Contractual Agreements
- Referrals/Fees
When a License/Registration is Required
- Independent medical exams in connection with litigation (1998)
- EMG testing (1999)
- Examinations and possible procedure in connection with litigation (2000)
- Orders for continuing treatment (2004)
- Naturopathy and acupuncture (2005)
- Cosmetic tattooing (2006)
- Laser tattoo removal (2010)
- Orders from out of state physicians for out of state patients (2006)
- Ear stapling (2006)
- Camp physicians (2006)
- Ultrasound-guided egg retrieval in fertility clinic (2020)
- Non-Alabama licensed physicians certifying home health orders for Alabama patients (2021)
- Use of red light therapy sources by non-physicians (2025)
- Guidelines for the Off-Label Use of Ketamine for the Treatment of Treatment-Resistant Depression in Outpatient Settings (2026)
Assistive/Advanced Practice Personnel-Delegation of Duties
- Unlicensed personnel giving injections (1999)
- Standing order for administration of influenza vaccine (1996)
- Radiologic technologist administering contrast media under remote supervision (2023)
- Radiology techs performing fluoroscopy (2023)
- Cardiovascular tech may not administer sedation/analgesia (2008)
- Delegation of dictation of discharge summaries, histories and physicals (2009)
- Sclerotherapy may not be delegated to an RN (2013)
- Mid-level practitioners and hospital privileges of supervising/collaborating physician (2008)
- PAs ordering MRIs (2010)
- PAs ordering controlled substances for inpatients (2011)
- PAs signing for sample drugs (1995)
- PAs dictating death summaries (2019)
- Wellness clinics offering IV medications for a fee (2022)
- Statement on Request to Train and Delegate Injection of Neuromodulators and Dermal Fillers for Cosmetic Purposes (15MB .pdf) (2024)
- Radiologic technologist administering contrast media under remote supervision - emergency care by paramedics/advanced EMTs (2026)
Miscellaneous Practice Matters
- Declaratory Ruling: The use of placental stem cell injections by physicians as “off-label” treatments (2025)
- Declaratory Ruling: Performance of non-invasive buccal (intraoral) massage by a licensed Alabama aesthetician under the supervision of a medical physician (2025)
- Responsibility of cataract removal surgeon for pre and post-op exams (1998)
- Telemedicine by teaching physicians and residents (2010)
- Satisfying the "in-person" requirement for prescribing via telehealth (2023)
- Ozone therapy (2011)
- Reportability of high/low agreement in malpractice lawsuit (2016)
- Reportable diseases/conditions in Alabama (April 2024 Dept. of Public Health chart)
- Considerations on closing or leaving a practice (license status options)
- Medical records and patient notification upon leaving a practice
- Public health emergencies and natural disasters
- Scammers targeting physicians
- Concerns with semaglutide and other GLP-1 receptor agonists (2023)
- Declaratory Ruling on physicians compounding drugs or drug products (August 2024) (Downloadable Flipbook Version)
- Recommended Guidelines for Testosterone Replacement Therapy in Males and Females (2025)
- Telemedicine by Limited License Teaching Physicians (2023)
- Dual Degree Declaratory Ruling (2026)
Corporations/Contractual Agreements
- Contractual relationship between partnership and independent contractor (1998)
- Licensing requirements for shareholders in Alabama Professional Corporation (1994)
- Corporate practice of medicine (1992)
- Employment of chiropractor by professional medical corporation (1998)
- LLC/LLP providing non-medical services (1994)
- Physician ownership in pharmacy (2006)
- LLC not organized to perform medical services performing medical services (2008)
- LLLP providing professional medical services (2013)
- Alabama Limited Liability Company Law of 2014 and the employment of physicians by companies formed under/subject to it (2014)
Referrals/Fees
- "Handling charge" from pathology group to surgical clinic (1986)
- Compensation for actual services not dependent upon or related to referrals (1987)
- Method of payment from physicians to referral service (1996)
- Billing arrangement for pathology services and clarification regarding radiologists (2004)
- Billing arrangement between pathology and urology groups (2005)
- Written services agreement between laboratory and urology group (2007)
- Billing arrangement between pathology and dermatology group (2014)
- Contractual relationship between a medical partnership consisting of licensed ophthalmologists and a licensed pediatric ophthalmologist (1988)