Functional Lawyer

Practice Protection Program

The premier legal resource and support program for integrative medicine and functional medicine MDs, DOs, NDs, DCs, NPs and PAs who want a strong foundation to protect their practices and protect their licenses.

Live Weekly Office Hours

Legal Document
Library

Legal and Business Education

One 60-Minute Individual Call with an Attorney

Safeguard your practice without spending tens of thousands of dollars.

The Functional Lawyer Practice Protection Program provides education and support for foundational best business practices and legal knowledge so you can build your practice confidently.

So if you:

  • Need foundational business guidance as you set up your practice.

  • Are just starting out and don’t know where to start

  • Have regular business and legal questions as you move through the process of practice ownership and operation.

  • Would like access to legal templates and documents as your practice model changes and evolves.


Then the Functional Lawyer Practice Protection Program is for you.

What do I get inside the Practice Protection Program?

  • Peace of Mind knowing you are doing things "the right way"

  • Confidence to grow your practice professionally

  • Community Support from Scott and your colleagues, like-minded professionals like you who want to do things "the right way."

Access to the full document vault

Upon joining, you get immediate access to the 60+ legal document templates available in the vault. The vault is always expanding and receiving updates based on provider feedback and requests.

These document templates are law-firm quality, as they have been created in collaboration with a team of attorneys from various specialties.

Each template comes in MS Word format and is accompanied by a line-by-line video walkthrough of the template so that explains some of the legal language in plain English (not legalese), and highlights areas where you may want to edit for your situation.

Comprehensive legal and business education series for practice owners

We provide 6 Legal Education Modules

covering the following:

  • Starting Your Practice

  • Telemedicine Law

  • Practice Essentials

  • HIPAA Made Easy

  • Protecting Your Online Presence

  • Employment Essentials

  • PLUS...as new issues emerge, we add lessons to reflect the dynamic nature of the legal landscape.

Live Office Hours each week

Join Scott for a 90-minute group video call every week in an open Q&A session.

There is plenty of time for each attendee to get individual attention.

Scott not only brings his experience as an attorney, but also his experience in building and growing a functional medicine practice with his wife Linda, a D.O.

Many providers come each week to listen in and learn from the experience and opinions of their colleagues as well.

What sets us apart

We know that owning and operating a practice can be overwhelming for providers who may not have business expertise. But the fact is, business and legal foundations are necessary for success.

We not only have documents, education, and office hours accessible to you, we also keep you up to date.

Scott regularly updates the documents in the Program and releases regular education as laws and the functional medicine landscape changes and evolves.

Also, you benefit from the feedback of other providers. If you or another provider requests a particular template or potential new lesson, Scott may research and develop what is needed and add it to the Program so you may benefit as well.

The Practice Protection Program is a place for you to get business and legal advice in an economical, safe and reliable manner. That way you can focus on helping others, living your best life, and growing your business.

Take a look inside the Program:

Our 6 Legal Education Modules covering the following:

Starting Your practice.

  • Which business entity makes sense for you (LLC vs Corp vs Professional Corp.)

  • Step-by-step guidance on how to set up your entity, your business bank account, your state and local registrations, your IRS registrations, and more.

  • What is an S-Corp and how it can save you money? (No, it is not a type of business entity.)

  • The three most common business models and how to avoid headaches with each one.

  • And much more....

Practice Essentials.

  • The NUMBER ONE thing every provider should be doing to prevent malpractice suits and regulatory discipline. (It's easy and takes about 5 minutes.)

  • What you should be including in your patient agreements, but most providers don't know

  • The 2 different insurance policies that every provider/owner should have in place

  • How to understand your commercial lease so you can protect your rights with your landlord

  • And much more....

Telemedicine Law.

Stay up-to-date and compliant in this quickly changing intersection of multi-state law and medical regulations.

  • What is the practice of medicine? How it it different from telehealth?

  • Are you licensed in the state where the patient is located? Do you need to be? (Mostly yes, but that is changing.)

    • Tip: there is often a provider-to-provider consultation exception

  • Can you start telemedicine care for someone you have never seen in person?

  • Can you continue care when the patient leaves for college, vacation, etc?

  • Do you need to register as a foreign business in the state where your patient is located?

  • Do you need medical malpractice insurance in the remote state?

  • How can you avoid the corporate practice of medicine?

  • Can you write prescriptions for a remote patient?

  • And MUCH more (as this area of the law is changing almost monthly)...

Protecting Yourself Online.

  • Why your Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Disclaimer are so important. (Get them all FREE when you join.)

  • How to ensure your online dispensary is NOT in violation of anti-kickback and referral laws.

  • What to say, and when and where, if you are an affiliate for another company (like Amazon Associates)

  • How to protect yourself on social media from Federal Trade Commission issues

  • How to arrange your online program or course to avoid telemedicine and regulatory issues

  • And much more....

HIPAA Made Easy.

  • We make this complex set of laws and regulations simple and give you a step-by-step method to help you with compliance.

  • The annual audits you must do each year.

  • The training you and your staff must get each year.

  • How to write the mandatory written policies and procedures specific to your office.

  • How to avoid fines because of the acts of others' (your business associates)

  • How to provide patients with the mandatory disclosures

  • And SO much more here...

Employment Law Essentials

  • What do you need to do when you hire a new employee?

  • How to correctly determine whether you have an employee or an independent contractor (and prevent the IRS from knocking on your door for years of backtaxes)

  • Why an employee handbook is essential and what to include in it

  • How to avoid overtime and minimum wage (Fair Labor Standards Act, or FLSA) issues.

  • How to avoid Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) issues

  • And more...

ALL DOCUMENTS INCLUDED IN THE FUNCTIONAL LAWYER

PRACTICE PROTECTION PROGRAM!

That's right. Every. Single. Document. That Functional Lawyer currently has available, and all new documents that will be added, are included in your Membership. They are divided into the following categories:

Legal Foundations

These documents are important for operating a cash practice outside of insurance and Medicare. As well as staffing your practice to ensure that expectations and duties are well communicated from the beginning.

  • Medicare OptOut Affidavit

  • Medicare Private Contract

  • Letter to Insurance Carrier

  • Office Policies and Procedures

  • Testimonial Release

  • Employment Agreement for Staff

  • Employment Agreement for Health Coach/ Nutritionist

  • Employment Agreement for MD/DO

  • Independent Contract Agreement Health Coach / Nutritionist

Online Presence

In today's world, people see you first online. The documents will protect your online presence via your website, online courses, and social media.

  • Website Terms and Conditions

  • Website Privacy Policy

  • Website Disclaimer

  • Online Course Agreement (Terms)

  • Affiliate Disclaimer

  • Supplement Dispensary Disclosure

Practice Essentials

These documents are critical for the smooth operation of your medical practice. They enable clear communication from the beginning between you and your patient.

  • Informed Consent

  • Patient Membership Agreement

  • Patient Fee for Service Agreement

  • Patient Program Agreement

  • Discontinuation of Care Letter

  • Telemedicine Consent

HIPAA Documents

HIPAA can be overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be if you have the right documents in place and know when and how to use them.

  • HIPAA Policies and Procedures Manual

  • Notice of Privacy Practices

  • Business Associate Agreement

  • Authorization for Use or Disclosure of PHI

  • Revocation of Authorization to Release PHI

  • Patient's Request for Access to PHI

  • Practice Response to Request for Access

  • Patient Restriction Request Form

  • Termination of Request for Restrictions

  • Request for Alternative Communications Form

  • Request for Amendment of PHI

  • Privacy Complaint Form

  • Request for Accounting of Disclosures of PHI

  • Disclosure Tracking Log

  • Staff HIPAA Training Acknowledgement Form

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I get access to every lesson immediately?

Yes, of course! And we are always adding new content based on Member feedback or changes in the functional medicine industry or legal landscape.

I'm a Nutritionist/RD/PA/ND/NP/other, will this help me?

Yes it will. Many of the educational lessons are applicable to every provider that is in this functional medicine space.

We will add specific lessons where the law varies depending on degree and publish that training based on member feedback.

Is there a guarantee?

Yes, I guarantee that you won't find this kind of value anywhere else. 

If you add it all up, you'll agree: 52 hours of live attorney groups calls, 12 individual appointments, ongoing support, education, and more than 55 legal documents written and reviewed by real healthcare attorneys.  

As for money-back guarantees, we can't offer that at this time due to the unique nature of the service. 

That is why we offer an affordable session with Scott Rattigan so you can get to know Scott and determine if the Membership is truly a fit for you and your needs. You can schedule that Free Discovery Call at any time. 

Can I cancel after a couple of months?

No. If you choose monthly installments, you are agreeing to make 12 payments. The monthly installments are a payment plan for the vault of over 60 documents, educational videos and live calls over the 12 month period. So even if you don't take advantage of the consulting offerings provided, you are still receiving the documents and educational videos as soon as you pay for the first month. Therefore, you cannot stop payment until the 12-month installment period is complete. This is a payment plan offered for your convenience, not a month-to-month membership service.

Will you represent me in the event of a lawsuit?

No.

Just as there are medical providers with a wide variety of specialties, there are different types of attorneys with different areas of focus as well.

The Practice Protection Program is an educational program designed to help you prevent lawsuits from happening in the first place.

But we can never eliminate all risk.

In that event of a lawsuit, you will want to work with a litigation attorney in your jurisdiction (most likely through your malpractice insurance) that has experience with that particular kind of suit.

In collaboration with your personal attorney, you can utilize the Practice Protection Program templates and education to minimize the risk of a lawsuit.

Will this education apply in my state?

Yes.

We have Members from all over the country.

The legal concepts and education apply almost uniformly in every state. For the most part, a contract is a contract, a lease is a lease, and an LLC is an LLC.

Where state variations do exist, we will tell you. (And for telemedicine, we have a state-by-state breakdown of all the issues you will need to know.)

If you aren't sure, ask us in the Weekly Office Hours with Scott.

We often research issues raised by our Members and create new resources (documents, education, and training) based on Member requests.

Is it a subscription?

No. But we do make a payment plan available for those that prefer smaller payments over time.

You are receiving all of our documents and all the education in a single bundle as soon as you join, which is reflected in the initial investment, whether you choose to pay in one installment or 12 complete installments. (If you elect the installment plan, you agree to make 12 payments.)

The maintenance subscription for years two and beyond is for continued access to attorney calls, new trainings that are released, and new documents that are created and shared with current and active providers.

In other words, if you choose installment payments, you are agreeing to make 12 payments as part of a payment plan.

After that, you may choose to stay on for a smaller maintenance plan in either a single payment or on a monthly basis for access to new documents, attorney office hours, and support, as well as new education that is added to the Membership.

Can you help me in MY state?

Yes, we have providers across the United States.  We can provide education and consultation on laws and customs in your state as it pertains to your practice.  However, there are some instances where your particular need or question would be best served by a local attorney in your state. This would include if you need legal representation for litigation or to represent you in front of the licensing board.

But keep in mind, the primary goal of Functional Lawyer is education to ensure you NEVER GET to the point where you need litigation or medical board representation. 

We recommend our clients have their specific needs and documents reviewed by an in-state medical attorney.  

Will you answer my legal questions?

Yes, you will have ample opportunity to ask and receive answers for your questions about legal (and business) concepts.

You have 52 weekly group Office Hours for live questions. You may also submit questions in advance to be answered live by Scott and available as a recording. And you can take advantage of previous questions of other members in the community.

However, joining the Membership does not create an attorney-client relationship. For more details, see the program terms and conditions.

Will you become my lawyer?

No. In order to serve the most providers across the country with clear education and quality legal templates, Functional Lawyer made the decision to serve as an educational company. 


Functional Lawyer is not a law firm nor a substitute for an attorney or law firm.

The Membership can still save you thousands in legal fees, but we recommend having an attorney in your jurisdiction review your documents, compliance plan, and risk mitigation strategy.

Enroll Today and Enjoy Peace of Mind

Have questions? See our FAQs above.

BEST VALUE

$5,999

One-Payment

  • All the documents you need to protect your practice and license (77+)

  • Education on legal concepts that you NEED TO KNOW

  • WEEKLY Office Hours with Scott Rattigan, JD

  • A community of like-minded practitioners to share insights and strategies

  • Option to renew for as little as $599/year for continued updates,

    weekly office hours, and more support as laws change and your practice evolves.

ENROLL NOW

Monthly Installments

$6,708

12 Monthly Installments of $559

  • All the documents you need to protect your practice and license (77+)

  • Education on legal concepts that you NEED TO KNOW

  • WEEKLY Office Hours with Scott Rattigan, JD

  • A community of like-minded practitioners to share insights and strategies

  • Option to renew for as little as $599/year for continued updates,

    weekly office hours, and more support as laws change and your practice evolves.

Functional Lawyer is not a law firm nor a substitute for an attorney or law firm. The information and templates available on Functional Lawyer’s website are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. Though Functional Lawyer aims to keep its information and templates up-to-date and accurate, because the law changes rapidly and because of variations in laws in different jurisdictions, Functional Lawyer makes no guarantees as to the accuracy and completeness of the information. It is your responsibility to ensure that the information and templates you choose to utilize from Functional Lawyer are appropriately tailored to and accurate for your particular business. Communications between you and Functional Lawyer are not protected by the attorney-client privilege or as work product. You should contact an attorney in your state to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal issues or problems and/or state specific requirements or customizations necessary for your business. Use of Functional Lawyer’s website and its products are subject to our Terms & Conditions, End User License Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Full Disclaimer.

Contact us:

Phone (941) 229-0928

Address:

2017 Erie Ln, Superior, CO 80027