I am kind of late to this conversation, but why are NP's so brainless when it comes to this contract stuff? Honestly, NP's are operating at a high professional level, but many don't have a clue what they are doing. "I think I'll open my own practice....wait, I don't know how".
I will add what I know, if that helps others. This is general information, not necessarily specific to this case, but is directed at the OP.
1) Any practice you were affiliated with likely had you sign a contract. In that contract, there is usually a "non-compete" clause, which prohibits a clinician from taking patients from the practice to a different practice. Some even limit a radius that you would be restricted from working in for some period of time. This non-compete clause also restricts the clinician from contacting patients and notifying them of their new location, or encouraging them to locate them at their new location. This would even restrict the clinician from saying to patients in the final days "I am leaving this group, but you can find my new location by looking on the internet/facebook, etc."
Non-compete restrictions can vary, but when I worked in Las Vegas, I knew a physician who had to leave Las Vegas and move to Bakersfield to start his own practice. This is extreme, but he signed it, so he had to abide by it.
But states vary, so anyone signing on with a new practice really should have a lawyer review the contract
Read more about this at
http://www.bassberry.com/~/media/Fil...April_2013.pdf
2) The Board of Nursing only regulates your scope of practice. They don't regulate the business of the practice.
3) The medical examiner examines dead people. Hence, they are a coroner. If you need them to examine your practice, your practice is already dead.
4) Before you jump into opening your own practice, why wouldn't you hire a lawyer to make everything work? Honestly, I think the only thing you've done up to this point is buy a building and start a facebook page. What did you do for billing, EHR, contracting with medicare, medicaid, insurance for payment, hiring staff, providing for payroll, setting up tax id, practice NPI, LLC, business permit, (I'm sure I am missing something)? This stuff usually takes months, and money.
5) I don't believe it is legal for your prior practice to forward medical records of patients to you. You were likely an employee of the practice, so the patients signed a consent-to-treat and HIPPA with the practice, not you directly. The patient would have to grant permission to transfer those records, because you are no longer part of the practice. They might tell you on the phone "sure, we will send those right over", then hang up on you and all have a good laugh. Again, this would be a question for a lawyer who could read your actual contract with that practice, but I have a feeling you don't even have a copy of it.
Just my thoughts.