Howell, Buchan & Strong, Attorneys at Law, Expands into Tampa Bay Area for Health Care Professionals

Just five months after expanding into Southwest Florida, Howell, Buchan & Strong, Attorneys at Law has planted its flag in the Tampa Bay Area. Starting May 20, 2020, we will provide our expertise in health care case law to medical practitioners on Florida’s Suncoast. Our Tampa site marks our fourth office, which will improve service to our current client base of health care professionals and facilities along with new ones.

“We are incredibly excited about the addition of our talented team of health care attorneys in such an important region of Florida,” Mr. Howell said.  “Our Firm has spent quite a bit of time in the Tampa/St. Petersburg metropolitan area advising and defending health care professionals and facilities, so opening an office in Tampa to serve our clients was the next logical step.”

The new office is centrally located in the Bay Area at 1402 W. Swann Ave., Tampa, 33606-2533. The telephone number is (813) 833-6726. Howell, Buchan & Strong, Attorneys at Law also has offices in Tallahassee, Orlando, and Sarasota. Our attorneys at the Tampa office will be available by appointment only.

With a population estimated in 2019 to be 3.2 million people — the fourth-largest metro area in the Southeast — the Tampa Bay Area boasts more than 50 major hospitals and dozens of medical clinics and ambulatory care centers.

They include nationally regarded hospitals such as Tampa General Hospital, ranked No. 1 in the area by U.S. News & World Report; Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater; H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa; Mease Hospital in the Countryside area of Safety Harbor, and Dunedin; St. Joseph’s Hospital-Tampa; and Bayfront Health in St. Petersburg and Brooksville.

With a demographic of 31 percent for people 55 and above, there also are numerous medical centers that focus solely on older clients and at least 97 assisted care facilities in Tampa alone. As an aside, more than 10,000 people are employed locally by medical device manufacturers, annually producing $2 billion worth of goods and services.

The hospitals in Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties contain almost 5,400 beds, according to state stats. Taking care of all those patients — in and out of facilities — are more than 9,200 physicians and physicians assistants, and nearly 53,000 nurses.

We task ourselves to represent health care professionals including, but not limited to, physicians, nurses, other clinicians, dentists, pharmacists, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, psychologists, and many others who are under Florida Department of Health investigation or facing discipline by their professional board. We also help applicants obtain health care licenses and sort out other credential and administrative issues.

In addition, our Firm provides advice and counsel to management and owners of assisted living facilities, nursing homes, nurse registries, home medical equipment providers, and other providers licensed by the Agency for Health Care Administration in Tallahassee.

Having our main office in the state capital provides our clients with valuable direct access to the state government agencies that govern their profession. We know how the system works and can help protect your livelihood. Yes, it comes down to that.

“When a case breaks in Sarasota, for instance, our Tallahassee attorneys can tap their state contacts to provide insight if necessary,” Mr. Howell said.

Our six attorneys represent more than 70 years of standing up for health care personnel. Our legal advisors are Jeffrey S. Howell, Rickey L. Strong, Thomas Buchan, Jonathan “Jon” Zachem, Jeffrey Greenberg, and Michael Brown.

Mr. Howell is head of the legal team and has provided representation and advice to Florida health care providers since 1989. He’s a former Staff Attorney to the Senate Committee on Health Care in the Florida Legislature, where he helped draft laws relating to regulation of physicians, nurses, dentists, and many other licensed health-care professionals. He now represents clients dealing with state medical regulatory agencies, and those with background and licensing issues, including license denials.

Mr. Strong earned his law degree in 2008 from the Florida A&M University College of Law in Orlando after completing degrees at Florida State University and Mercer University in Atlanta. He has been an in-house counsel for FDOH and worked on cases involving Unlicensed Practice of Medicine, Medical Professional Licensing, Vital Statistics, Public Health, Disease Control, Environmental Health, and Epidemiology. He’s a member of the Health Law Section of the Florida Bar, and practices in all Florida courts as well as U.S. District Court.

Mr. Buchan joined the firm in 2016 and can practice in all Florida state courts. He handles license defense for professionals and health care facilities, and complex civil litigation cases that include areas of employment discrimination, wrongful death, and negligence. He graduated from the FSU College of Law in 2018.

Mr. Zachem, Of Counsel, a Tallahassee-based lawyer, led Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation during Gov. Rick Scott’s time in office. During his tenure, Mr. Zachem worked with more than 20 state Boards and Commissions and provided expert testimony before the Legislature. He began his career as an attorney for FDOH and provided expert testimony before the Legislature.

Mr. Greenberg, Of Counsel, has more than 25 years experience working with health-care institutions, and corporate transactional and regulatory matters, including acquisitions and divestitures, and federal and state licensing and compliance. A Tampa resident, his clients include hospitals, medical practices, and privately held corporations. He has lobbied Congress on multiple occasions for changes to Medicare payment laws.

A former state prosecutor, Mr. Brown, Of Counsel, has been a private attorney in the Orlando and Central Florida area for more than 10 years. He practices statewide, focusing mainly on criminal law, foreclosure law, and civil litigation. He earned his law degree at the FAMU College of Law. As Of Counsel, he provides representation in criminal cases while considering potential legal issues that may arise regarding his client’s professional licensing.

With the addition of our fourth location, Howell, Buchan & Strong, Attorneys at Law is fulfilling its goal of becoming the premier source of legal representation for Florida’s health care community. We are pleased to offer our reliable expertise to current and new clients in the Tampa Bay Area.