Practice Highlights
- 45+ attorneys and government consultants firmwide with experience representing health care providers in litigation, appellate, transactional, compliance, and legislative matters
- Attorneys and government consultants who have previously worked at the Florida Department of Insurance, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the U.S. Attorneys’ office, and as in house counsel at various health care providers
- “Go to” attorneys for healthcare litigation for large nationwide hospital company
- Serve as outside general counsel for numerous hospitals and hospital systems
- Extensive experience handling appeals on behalf of health care providers on a wide range of legal issues, including: peer review privilege, provider credentialing and related employment issues, insurance, and medical malpractice
Key Litigation Matters
- Represented health care providers throughout Florida trial and appellate courts in more than 450 cases related to Amendment 7 issues, including providers’ confidential peer review, credentialing, quality, and risk management
- Obtained reversal of trial court order certifying class action against hospital challenging its billing and collections practices
- Represented hospital in litigation and appellate proceedings resulting in decision that Florida hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers and their governing bodies are immune from injunctive relief and liability for claims that arise out of the appointment or reappointment of members of the medical staff, absent a properly pled allegation of intentional fraud
- Represented hospitals in internal peer review proceedings and resulting litigation, which included successfully representing hospital in litigation and appellate proceedings in lawsuit brought by physicians alleging racial discrimination in medical staff appointment process
- Represented hospitals in medical malpractice lawsuits, including a defense verdict in a three-week jury trial of a $50 million medical malpractice claim arising out of paraplegia following spinal surgery
Key Regulatory/Transactional Matters
- Provided legal advice and counseling regarding formation of a hospital network to better compete given health care reform
- Counseled hospitals on possible sources of inter-governmental transfer dollars to mitigate Medicaid cuts and to support fully adjusted rates
- Represented health care providers in investigations by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights related to HIPAA and patient privacy complaints brought by former patients and other consumers
- Assisted hospital with purchase of real estate and expansion of health care facilities
- Counseled hospital on possible joint venture with other health care provider to expand provision of critical services