AHLA's Speaking of Health Law

In March, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) withdrew the Richardson Waiver, a policy under which HHS voluntarily undertook notice-and-comment rulemaking in circumstances where it wouldn’t otherwise need to. HHS also issued a new Statement of Organization for the Office of the General Counsel (HHS-OGC), which, among other things, may signal an effort to consolidate and expand HHS-OG...

Community Health Network, Inc. of Indiana (CHN) entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in December 2023 to settle alleged violations of the False Claims Act. The settlement amount of $345 million was the largest settlement of its kind in history. Dave Hesselink, Managing Principal, SullivanCotter, A.J. Orille, Consulting Principal, SullivanCotter, and Mark Ryberg, Practice...

Artificial intelligence (AI) adoption is skyrocketing across the health care industry and innovation is booming, but regulation is struggling to keep pace. Dennis Breen, Managing Partner, Source 1 Healthcare Solutions, speaks with Alicia Shickle, President and CEO, ProCode Compliance Solutions, David Bolden, Senior Health Care Compliance Consultant, and Lyman Sornberger, CEO, Lyman Healthcare Solu...

Hospital-based specialists such as radiologists and anesthesiologists are critical to the operations of health systems. However, the current landscape is creating new challenges between these specialists and health systems. Rich Chasinoff, Director, VMG Health, speaks with Angela Hill, Vice President and General Counsel, Vandalia Health, about how the relationship between specialists and health sy...

Tom O’Neil, Managing Director, BRG, and Jim Hearty, Chief Compliance Officer, DaVita Inc., discuss the various dimensions of the Chief Compliance Officer’s role. They cover issues related to strategic enablement, organizational values and culture, and working with the legal department and the board of directors. Tom and Jim spoke about this topic at AHLA’s 2024 Fraud and Compliance Forum in Baltim...

Sandy DiVarco, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, and Dan Hettich, Partner, King & Spalding LLP, discuss issues related to Medicare and the practice of law in this area. They cover Medicare reimbursement for hospitals, different licensure requirements, EMTALA, provider-based status and site-neutral care, the Advocate Christ case, and what it’s like as an attorney to practice in a niche a...

Andrew Mahler, Vice President of Privacy and Compliance Services, Clearwater, speaks with Drew Stevens, Of Counsel, Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs LLP, about the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care and the evolving landscape of nondiscrimination regulations. They discuss the significance of the final rule on Section 1557 and nondiscrimination in the use of patient care de...

Travis G. Lloyd, Member, Bass Berry & Sims PLC, Emily Black Grey, Partner, Breazeale Sachse & Wilson LLP, and Claire M. Turcotte, discuss their experiences representing hospitals and health systems and how the field has changed over the years. They cover issues related to telehealth, site-neutral payments, co-location, and fraud and abuse. Travis, Emily, and Claire are co-editors of AHLA’s...

Rob Gerberry, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Summa Health, speaks with Michael Peregrine, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery, about the distinction between the role of the health care board and the role of management. They discuss the current landscape of board and management roles and responsibilities, what corporate law says, what governance organizations are saying, the leading...

Based on AHLA's annual Health Law Connections  article , this special series brings together thought leaders from across the health law field to discuss the top ten issues of 2025. In the tenth episode, Ragini Acharya, Partner, Husch Blackwell LLP, speaks with William S. Richmond, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, about the latest developments related to state health care transaction review...

Security expectations for health tech vendors are rising significantly in the wake of last year’s Change Healthcare cyberattack. Hal Porter, Director of Consulting Services, Clearwater, speaks with Alexis Finkelberg Bortniker, Partner, Cooley LLP, about how the climate has changed for health tech vendors. They discuss changing contractual security requirements for vendors, key areas where potentia...

Based on AHLA's annual Health Law Connections  article , this special series brings together thought leaders from across the health law field to discuss the top ten issues of 2025. In the ninth episode, Adam Laughton, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig LLP, speaks with Jennifer Nelson Carney, Member, Epstein Becker & Green PC, about the latest developments related to gender affirming care. Th...

Jenelle Beavers, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal, and Emily Little, Senior Counsel, University of Missouri System, discuss best practices for working with consultants. They cover issues related to identifying consultants, contracting, confidentiality, data transfer, communication, and concluding engagements with consultants. Jenelle and Emily spoke about this topic at AHLA’s 2024 In-House...

Based on AHLA's annual Health Law Connections  article , this special series brings together thought leaders from across the health law field to discuss the top ten issues of 2025. In the eighth episode, Shalyn Watkins, Associate, Holland & Knight LLP, speaks with Anjali B. Dooley, Senior Partner, DBM Legal Services LLC, about the key litigation risks that are coming to the forefront rega...

On January 6, HHS’ Office for Civil Rights published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled “HIPAA Security Rule to Strengthen the Cybersecurity of Electronic Protected Health Information.” Wes Morris, Senior Director of Consulting Services, Clearwater, speaks with Jennifer Kreick, Partner, Haynes and Boone LLP, and Thomas Tanabe, Associate, Haynes and Boone LLP, about the proposed updates to the...

Based on AHLA's annual Health Law Connections  article , this special series brings together thought leaders from across the health law field to discuss the top ten issues of 2025. In the seventh episode, Christianna Finnern, Shareholder, Winthrop & Weinstine PA, speaks with Noreen Vergara, Partner, Husch Blackwell LLP, about the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and...

Rob Gerberry, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Summa Health, speaks with Michael Peregrine, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery, about what the change of administrations in Washington, DC can teach health care boards about managing conflicts of interest. They discuss lessons learned from the current transition, including the difference between “potential” and “actual” conflicts of in...

Based on AHLA's annual Health Law Connections  article , this special series brings together thought leaders from across the health law field to discuss the top ten issues of 2025. In the sixth episode, Elizabeth Trende, Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel, United Network for Organ Sharing, speaks with Michelle Garvey Brennfleck, Shareholder, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, about the c...

Kevin Malone, Member, Epstein Becker Green, speaks with Jenna Carl, Chief Medical Officer, Big Health, about developments in the use of digital therapeutics for mental health services. They discuss what digital therapeutics are, how they are used in patient care, ensuring safety and effectiveness, regulatory considerations, and the future of the field. From AHLA’s Behavioral Health Practice Group...

Based on AHLA's annual Health Law Connections  article , this special series brings together thought leaders from across the health law field to discuss the top ten issues of 2025. In the fifth episode, Mary R. Kohler, Founder & Principal, Kohler Health Law PC, speaks with Sheela Ranganathan, Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University School of Health, about the current legal and regulatory...

With recent changes to immigration enforcement policies in hospitals and clinics, it’s crucial for health care providers and legal counsel to understand how to respond while protecting patient privacy and meeting their legal and mission-oriented obligations. Shawn Gilman, Vice President & Senior Corporate Counsel, Providence St. Joseph Health, speaks with Joseph Wheeler, Associate, Dinsmore &a...

Based on AHLA's annual Health Law Connections  article , this special series brings together thought leaders from across the health law field to discuss the top ten issues of 2025. In the fourth episode, H. Kristie Xian, Associate, Jones Day, speaks with Katherine I. Funk, Shareholder, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, about how the new administration might approach health c...

With the increased scrutiny on kickbacks regarding medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotech arrangements, there has been an uptick in enforcement activity specific to the use of physicians, advanced practice providers, and other health care providers who consult, speak, serve as advisory board members, or otherwise lend their expertise. Tynan Kugler, Principal, PYA, Mara Smith Kouba, Counsel, B...

Based on AHLA's annual Health Law Connections  article , this special series brings together thought leaders from across the health law field to discuss the top ten issues of 2025. In the third episode, Joe Wolfe, Attorney, Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman PC, speaks with Ilene Albala, Partner, Goodwin Procter LLP, about how the new administration could reshape the health care fraud and...

CMS has a goal that by 2030 all Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries will be in value-based care arrangements. This means that providers will be accountable for the quality and total cost of care. Rob Moss, Principal, SullivanCotter, and Maggie Martin, Chief Legal Officer, Oklahoma Hospital Association, discuss the current climate surrounding the health care system’s continued move toward value-...