Healthcare

Over the past 20 years, the healthcare industry has seen and experienced wide-sweeping changes in most every aspect of the industry. Healthcare administrators, HMOs, insurance companies and physicians are all faced with the continuing challenge of keeping their patients and customers happy and healthy, and at the same time finding a way to maximize profits in a highly regulated industry. The attorneys in our healthcare section are involved in numerous aspects of the healthcare industry. In the past, we have actively and successfully assisted our clients with issues including structuring joint ventures between hospitals, physicians, and physician group practices; advising physicians and healthcare providers on corporate structure and governance; representing clients regarding the formation and organization of business entities; mergers and acquisitions; the purchase and sale of assets; physician hospital contracts; compliance program developments and implementations; civil and criminal fraud and abuse issues arising from federal and anti-kickback and physician self-referral laws.

A significant part of our practice is devoted almost exclusively to health care regulatory and transactional matters. Areas of expertise include joint venture formation, capitalization, and governance; structural, operational, and transactional guidance for joint-venture hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, physician group practices, and ancillary service and equipment providers; health care fraud and abuse compliance advice, specifically relating to the federal Stark Law, federal Anti-Kickback Statute, and Medicare program rules and regulations; negotiation and preparations of asset and company purchase agreements; negotiating and drafting business contracts; and providing general corporate advice on a broad range of related legal and business matters. Mr. Cardenas often serves as special health care counsel on complex transactional matters that implicate federal health care laws and regulations. Mr. Cardenas is a frequent guest speaker and is routinely called upon to meet with Congressmen, state government officials, and state and federal policy-makers to discuss proposed legislation and other governmental initiatives.

The firm routinely advises hospitals and physician-owned medical facilities on operations, management, governance, and compliance issues. We frequently provide advice on peer review matters and credentialing with regard to medical staff and managed core credentialing plans.