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Treating Prostate Cancer
Effects the New Tax Bill
Successfully – in a Single Day! Will Have on Divorce

– with HIFU
Now that the new tax bill has become law,
you may be wondering how those changes
Prostate cancer will because he has seen, first- affect your current divorce agreement or final
effect one in seven men hand, the advantages the judgment of dissolution of marriage. If you
throughout their life- procedure offers including: enter or entered into a divorce agreement
time. Traditional treat- • The ability to success- wherein you are paying alimony that is taxable
ments have included fully treat prostate cancer in to your ex-spouse and deductible by you, your
chemotherapy, radia- one day via a minimally alimony agreement is not changed by the new
tion, surgery (radical invasive, outpatient proce- law. This law affects new alimony agreements
prostatectomy) or dure. entered into after January 1, 2019. If you
“watch ful waiting” - all • Minimal risk of urinary entered into an agreement before January 1,
of which can carry sig- or sexual side effects 2019, and you modify the alimony portions of
nificant risk of side • The ability to utilize that agreement after January 1, 2019, then you
effects such as impo- HIFU as a first line of treat- will no longer be able to deduct the alimony BY ANGELA R. NEAVE,
tence, incontinence, ment AND a salvage therapy expense you are paying. If you are paying ESQUIRE
pain and erectile dys- for cancer recurrence alimony and need to modify that amount,
function. • An up to 95% decrease 2018 is the year to modify. Your new alimony
But now, men have an Dr. George Suarez in PSA levels with up to 10 amount can still be taxable to your ex-spouse and deductible by you if you
alternative for prostate years of no cancer recur- make those changes before January 1, 2019.
cancer treatment– HIFU (high intensity rence The other major change that affects your divorce agreement or final judg-
focused ultrasound). HIFU uses thera- And now health care providers ment of dissolution of marriage is the loss of the child dependency exemp-
peutic ultrasound waves that pass harm- throughout Florida can offer their tion which disappears for tax year 2018. The child tax credit is still available
lessly through intervening tissue while patients this same-day treatment in a sus- and increased from prior years, and should be designated each year depend-
destroying targeted cancer cells. There is tainable economic framework through ing on your income and your ex-spouse’s income. The child tax credit phases
no cutting involved and, hence, no mobile, proctored HIFU services provid- out after a certain amount of income is earned - $200,000.00 for single filers,
bleeding or “scatter-effect” into healthy ed by International HIFU Center (IHC). and this credit should be designated in your divorce agreement or re-deter-
tissue. IHC will provide on-site proctors, mined if your divorce agreement was silent on the child tax credit.
Dr. George Suarez, known as the pio- trainers and technicians who are special- There are other changes that could affect your deductions. You should
neer of HIFU and director of the ly trained and certified in the application speak to your CPA before entering into any divorce agreement and under-
International HIFU Centers, has dedicat- of HIFU throughout the duration of the stand how the changes in the tax law will affect your income starting in 2018.
ed a portion of his career and life advo- session. As well, they will oversee the
cating for the FDA approval of HIFU in management of all billing and collection If you have questions about the changes the new tax bill will have on your
the U.S. after successfully performing it of patient fees, including payment to the divorce agreement, and want to discuss your options with an attorney, call Angela
overseas for more than a decade. In facility and/or physician at the time of R. Neave, Esquire, at (954) 981-2200 for a free consultation.
October of 2015, HIFU became approved service. In addition, IHC will transport
in the United States after a positive study and allow on-site use of the Sonablate
led by Dr. Suarez showed a 95.4% 500 to perform the HIFU procedure.
decrease in PSA levels from baseline sig- “Having changed the culture of how
nifying a successful ablation of the we treat the most common cancer in men
prostate cancer cells. In addition, Dr. and having the opportunity to impact the
Suarez noted a significant decrease in the entire community of urologists around
risk of impotence, from 80% to 2%, and the world is deeply gratifying,” said
incontinence, from 20% to a mere 0.4%. Suarez. “But more importantly, we can
“From the very beginning since now provide an effective treatment that IN HEALTHCARE SERVICES
designing the FDA trial protocols, I never offers a cure without compromising qual-
doubted that HIFU would become the ity of life for men.”
new standard of care for the way we suc-
cessfully treat prostate cancer while still
preserving the lives – and dignity – of For more information about mobile HIFU
men,” said Suarez. services, call (305) 274-7144 or email SM
Dr. Suarez is passionate about HIFU drsuarez@suarezurology.com.
At WithumSmith+Brown, PC, our client-focused
philosophy and goal-oriented approach delivers
Visit us on the web at expertise, efficiency and innovation to meet the unique
needs of the healthcare industry.
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Practice Leader, Healthcare Services Group
COMPREHENSIVE smariani@withum.com
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South Florida Hospital News southfloridahospitalnews.com February 2018 7