Healthcare

Sophisticated Philadelphia Healthcare Lawyers

Dilworth Paxson's Health Care Group brings an integrated approach to the challenges of today's competitive health care environment. In addition to our full-time Health Care attorneys, our Group includes attorneys from several disciplines within the Firm, such as public finance, tax and non-profits, litigation, bankruptcy and insolvency, real estate, environmental, labor & employment, and corporate.

Against a backdrop of comprehensive and often-times confusing and contradictory regulations that constantly undergo change, health care providers are faced with a veritable alphabet soup of contracting opportunities with HMOs, PPOs, POSs, EPOs, IPAs, PHOs, MSOs, and similar organizations.

With market and regulatory developments occurring almost daily, Dilworth's Health Care Group attorneys concentrate on a full-range of issues affecting health care organizations large and small, from payors to providers, small group practices, networks, and other health care providers.

Our services cover the full range of health law issues including:

Advice and Counsel

We regularly provide advice and counsel regarding:

• Medicare, Medicaid, workers' compensation and other government-sponsored or regulated health care programs
• Stark, fraud and abuse, false claims, antitrust and other laws and regulations affecting referrals, joint ventures and similar relationships with and among health care providers
• Managed care and other contracting and reimbursement issues, joint venturing and network development
• 501(c)(3) issues, such as private inurement and private benefit
• Physician recruitment, practice acquisition/disposition, compensation, governance and employment matters
• Insurance, certificate of need and licensure
• Patient rights, medical records and risk management
• Academic medicine, research, faculty and related matters

Problem Prevention Services

Through a variety of programs and services offered by our Firm, clients are able to anticipate and avoid problems before they occur or learn how best to deal with them when they occur, thus minimizing the need for legal services and controlling their costs. These include:

• Billing and coding compliance audits
• Vendor and referral source financial relationship evaluation for Stark and anti-kickback issues
• Employment practices audit

Illustrative Representations

• Independence Blue Cross and Keystone Health Plan East in bidding and negotiating with the Commonwealth's HealthChoices program for mandatory Medicaid managed care
• The Board of Trustees of Thomas Jefferson University in the creation of the Jefferson Health System
• Hospitals such as the University of Pennsylvania, Children's Hospital and Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Inc. in on-going litigation regarding the bankruptcy of a health insurance organization in HealthPASS, the Commonwealth's program for Medicaid recipients in the Philadelphia area
• Methodist Hospital and its affiliated entities in connection with their acquisition by Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
• Omnia, Inc., an organization that sets up networks of obstetricians and gynecologists throughout the country, and engages in managed care contracting. We have provided assistance and advice regarding peer review protection from discovery, and quality improvement/utilization management, as well as clinical research grants and contracts for Omnia's Research and Education Division

Public Finance

Our involvement in public finance work covers a span of more than thirty-five years and has involved all types of municipal bond issues including authority revenue bonds for health care and other private activity financings by hospitals, nursing homes, life care and other health facilities.

Transactional Matters

As the health care market continues to consolidate and integrate across provider groups, the need for sophisticated transactional counsel becomes imperative. Our Firm's practice ranges from complex and sophisticated transactions to providing daily guidance on matters of corporate governance and business relationships, subject to applicable federal and state restrictions on prohibited financial and referral relationships. We strive to develop a close working relationship with our clients in order to anticipate problems and offer strategic advice beyond mere attention to legal compliance.

Tax and Nonprofits

Dilworth Paxson represents a variety of hospitals and hospital systems and behavioral health providers. We bring a diversified perspective to "gain-sharing" and other innovative approaches by health care providers in response to the demands of the health care market for accountable, cost-effective services.

Administrative Hearings

From "simple" payment appeals to full-blown proceedings before administrative law judges on payment, participation or employment issues, our health law group has strong experience in representing clients in trial-type hearings under the procedural rules of each administrative agency.

Key Employment Documents

From job application forms to employee handbooks, individual physician employment contracts to drug and alcohol policies, our Health Law Group drafts and reviews all forms of employment documents, offering practical suggestions on how best to structure the employment relationship in writing.

For questions or additional information, please contact Michael D. Ecker, Chair of the Healthcare Group.

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