Health Law Attorney Blog

BREAKING NEWS: The HLP Welcomes New Attorneys and Opens Office in Lake Success, NY

The Health Law Partners proudly announces that a group of prominent attorneys, widely considered among the top-tier of health care lawyers in NY, are joining our firm effective February 1. In addition to our Southfield, MI, Atlanta, GA and Manhattan offices, they will be opening our second New York office in Lake Success.

The Health Law Partners would like to formally welcome:

Joel M. Greenberg, Esq. - Mr. Greenberg has counseled health care professionals for decades on countless legal and business issues that confront them every day. Mr. Greenberg practices in all areas of health law. He assists providers in preparing their employment, partnership, and shareholder agreements and serves as a guide navigating clients through sensitive fraud, abuse, self-referral, and professional misconduct laws. Mr. Greenberg is a trusted advisor for providers in every phase of the life cycle of their professional needs - from choosing the best form of entity in which to practice, understanding their malpractice insurance options, in the purchase, sale, or dissolution of their professional practice and everything in between. Mr. Greenberg is named co-author/editor of The Legal Manual for New York Physicians(2012, Third Edition) which is published by the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA).

Claudia Hinrichsen, Esq.- Ms. Hinrichsen has over two decades of experience representing health care clients. Ms. Hinrichsen practices in all areas of health law including fraud and abuse, corporate compliance, transactional arrangements, patient-related legal issues, and HIPAA compliance. She has published numerous professional articles and frequently lectures before hospitals, medical groups, and professional associations.

Ron Lebow, Esq..- Mr. Lebow practices in all areas of health law, including business, contract, corporate and related matters. He has extensive experience in drafting and negotiating agreements and structuring arrangements for physicians, dentists, podiatrists, chiropractors and other health care professionals and facilities, and providing strategic regulatory and compliance guidance in connection with such arrangements. Mr. Lebow has been appointed Chair of the New York City Bar Association's Health Law Committee commencing in the Fall of 2011 to serve for a three year term. Mr. Lebow also co-authored The Legal Manual for Physicians (2012, Third Edition) and Guardianship Practice in New York State, each published by the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA).

Lori LaSalle, Esq. -Ms. LaSalle practices in all areas of health law and represents a vast array of clients including hospitals, nursing homes, independent practice associations (IPAs), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and physician practices. With two decades of experience practicing law, she counsels providers on issues such as corporate compliance, fraud and abuse, HIPAA, EMTALA, human-subject research, and advanced directives. In addition, she assists providers with a number of transactions including commercial and government audits, managed care contracting, drafting and negotiating services and software agreements and physician arrangements. She is general counsel to the Long Island Patient Information Exchange and a member of the North Shore-LIJ Health System Institutional Review Board. Ms. La Salle also co-authored The Legal Manual for Physicians (2012, Third Edition).

Gina Dolan, Esq..- Ms. Dolan counsels providers in a variety of legal matters, including licensing, billing, and claims issues, health insurance audits, managed care contracting, regulatory compliance, and fraud and abuse. She has experience in assisting clients with implementation of corporate compliance and HIPAA compliance programs and training for physician practices, hospitals, billing companies, and nursing homes. Ms. Dolan has counseled providers on the formation and development of independent practice associations and assisted clients with Medicare, Medicaid, and third-party reimbursement issues.

In our decision to strengthen and expand our presence in the New York health care market, HLP is building upon and enhancing the fundamentals that it believes to be the core of its client relationships: providing the highest level of scholarship and mastery of health care law, responsiveness, cost-sensitivity and attentiveness to our clients' business objectives.

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The HLP is proud to announce that founding partner, Robert S. Iwrey, Esq., was named a d'Business Magazine Top Lawyer in Healthcare for 2012. Iwrey was also named a Top Lawyer in Healthcare in 2010. d'Business polled more than 21,000 attorneys in Oakland, Macomb, Wayne, Washtenaw and Livingston counties, asking them to nominate attorneys for this recognition. HLP congratulates Robert on this achievement.

The Health Law Partners, P.C. is honored to be recognized by the U.S. News as a 2011-2012 "Best Law Firm" in the area of health care law. The rankings showcase law firms ranked nationally in one or more of 75 major legal practice areas. According to a press release issued by U.S. News, achieving this distinction "signals a unique combination of excellence and breadth of expertise." The rankings in their entirety are posted online at http://bestlawfirms.usnews.com.

The Health Law Partners, P.C. ("The HLP") is pleased to announce that founding partner Adrienne Dresevic was recently appointed to serve as Chair, ABA Health eSource; Vice Chair, Publication Committee; Vice Chair, Stark Toolkit Editorial Board; and Judge, Law Student Writing Competition. The appointment is for the 2011 - 2012 Bar Year (September 1, 2011 - August 31, 2012). As ABA Health eSource is the body within the ABA's Health Law Section responsible for the section's monthly electronic newsletter, this appointment represents an honor reserved for only the most respected members of the nation's health care bar.

Congratulations to Ms. Dresevic on her well-deserved and high-profile appointment.

The Health Law Partners, P.C. ("The HLP") is pleased to announce a new addition to our growing team of health care lawyers. Attorney Timothy Burkhard, formerly of Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, P.C. has joined The HLP. Mr. Burkhard focuses his practice on health care business transactions and corporate matters, licensure matters and health care litigation, including Civil False Claims Act and white collar criminal defense. The HLP is excited to welcome Mr. Burkhard to our team of lawyers who specialize in the business of health care.

The HLP is proud to announce that the HLP's founding partner, Adrienne Dresevic, Esq., and former division director at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Donald H. Romano, Esq., co-authored the featured article of the April issue of American Bar Association (ABA)'s The Health Lawyer entitled The "The Medicare Enrollment Process-CMSs Most Potent Program Integrity Tool". The article addresses the Medicare enrollment process, and provides insight into the mechanics of the new changes implemented on March 25th. As clients have commented, this article is an essential resource for physicians, physician group managers and administrators seeking to understand the enrollment-related tools at CMS' disposal.

Reflecting Ms. Dresevic's leadership positions within the ABA, she serves on the Editorial Board Member for the ABA Health Law Section's eSource, and is a Vice Chair of the Section's Publications Committee. In addition to Ms. Dresevic's many contributions to the ABA, she has also been instrumental in the Publication Committee's new ABA Stark & Anti-Kickback Toolkit--an online resource providing a unified searchable database containing the vast majority of reference materials needed to analyze Stark and Anti-kickback issues--to be unveiled this summer.

Continue reading "HLP's Founding Partner, Adrienne Dresevic, Co-Authored Featured Article in ABA's Health Lawyer" »

Join Carey Kalmowitz, Esq. and Kate Hickner-Cruz, Esq. of The Health Law Partners, P.C. in Las Vegas, Nevada for a conference that will answer all of your questions regarding the growing movement towards greater physician-hospital alignment.

Declining reimbursement, uncertainty over health care reform, increased competition, the need to access capital and the overall economy are all combining to drive physician practices to align themselves in some way with hospitals. Alignment may be necessary, but it's a huge step for practices to take. It's a step not only fraught with uncertainty over practice autonomy, physician compensation and the future culture of the practice, but one that may affect the happiness and financial health of a practice more than all the other decisions a practice makes, combined, in any given year.

Physician-Hospital Alignment Strategies 2011, sponsored by DecisionHealth, is a conference geared toward physician practices looking to align, but hospitals, consultants and others will also benefit by hearing the advice practices will be hearing. Specifically, practices will learn how to:
• Choose the right model and right partner to ensure long-term happiness and financial health
• Protect practice autonomy and compensation no matter what type of deal is struck
• Discover what hospitals look for most when evaluating practices - direct from a hospital CEO
• Find out just how much a practice is worth - and make sure the assessment passes legal muster
• Prepare thoroughly for due diligence - don't lose a great deal at the last minute to an overlooked detail
• Work successfully with a hospital after the deal has closed - including how to set up good day-to-day relations
In addition, all attendees take home working materials packed with information and tools to help you successfully conclude the alignment deal you need.

Further, your attendance at Physician-Hospital Alignment Strategies is risk free! With the line-up of authoritative speakers and solution-oriented tracks and session, DecisionHealth guarantees you will leave with the knowledge you need to choose the alignment option that meets physician practice needs and conclude a deal that protects a practice at the same time. If not, DecisionHealth will refund your full registration fee.

P.S., Bring along others from your organization and save up to $300! (See the Decision Health website to find out how.) Reserve your seat now by going to www.practicealignment.com.

The Health Law Partners, P.C. ("The HLP") is pleased to announce that Alan G. Gilchrist, Esq., has joined the firm as a partner. The HLP is excited to welcome Gilchrist to our growing team of lawyers specializing in health care law. Gilchrist will chair the firm's Civil False Claims and White Collar Criminal defense practice group. Gilchrist is a nationally recognized health care lawyer, specializing not only in civil false claims and white collar criminal defense, but also in matters related to licensure, reimbursement, compliance and fraud and abuse. He represents all types of health care providers, suppliers and professional organizations.

Gilchrist is a nationally-renowned litigator. He has successfully argued provider-reimbursement issues before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians. In addition, Gilchrist also has the distinction of being the first attorney to successfully defend a physician group in a Stark and Anti-Kickback case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice.

He frequently speaks nationally and locally, including to such organizations as the American Medical Association, American Bar Association, American Health Lawyers Association, and the FBI National Symposium on Health Care Fraud. He participated in the establishment of the Michigan Bar Association Institute of Continuing Education (ICLE) and has moderated and lectured at ICLE seminars for over a decade.

Gilchrist has been recognized in the Super Lawyers publication; he was selected by d'Business magazine in 2011 as one of the Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit; he is listed in the Best Lawyers in America in Health Care Law and Administrative Law; and he has an AV Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell.

The HLP is pleased to welcome a new addition to our growing firm, attorney Neda Mirafzali. Ms. Mirafzali graduated from the University of Michigan in 2007 and from Michigan State University College of Law in 2010, where she focused her legal studies on health care law and transactional law. Ms. Mirafzali joined The HLP as a law clerk in June 2009. She recently passed the Michigan State Bar. The HLP is excited to have her on our team of attorneys who specialize in the business of health care.

Founding partner, Adrienne Dresevic, Esq. was quoted in Kaiser Health News on August 23, 2010 in an article on the recent regulations pertaining to physician disclosure requirements involving imaging machines. Dresevic often writes articles and speaks across the nation about the laws and policies surrounding imaging arrangements.

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HLP founding partner Robert S. Iwrey, Esq. was quoted in a "Patient Records Legal Primer" article in the award-winning, national publication Physicians Practice. You can read about how to ensure that your record-keeping is well managed by clicking here.

One of HLP's founding partners, Adrienne Dresevic, Esq., who specializes in Stark and fraud & abuse analysis, published a new article in the latest issue of the RBMA Bulletin, a publication of the Radiology Business Management Association. Adrienne's article, entitled "Key Regulations Impacting Marketing: Entertainment and Gifts," explains the regulatory limitations placed on health care professionals when marketing, and is a must-read for physicians and other providers trying to expand their business.

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As a service to our clients and friends in NY, we are reproducing the notice circulated by the Medical Society of the State of New York urging all interested constituents take action to prevent the proposed 21% reduction in Medicare physician reimbursement. "On February 28, the two month extender of the current Medicare > conversion factor expires. If this is allowed to happen, it will > result in a 21% cut to Medicare physician reimbursement. This could devastate senior access. Congress must act to prevent this from > happening. The American Medical Association and MSSNY continue to push for repeal of the unfair SGR formula used for determining Medicare reimbursement updates. While several proposals are under consideration in Congress which would prevent this cut, including another short-term extender to a time later in the year, no action has yet been taken. Physicians are urged to call the AMA Grassroots Hotline, 1-800-833-6354, to contact Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, as well as their respective member of the House of Representatives, to urge a long-term fix to this problem. Time is running out, so please act now."

Continue reading "Medical Society of the State of New York Urges Calls to Congress To Again Prevent 21% Physician Medicare Cut" »

HLP is pleased to welcome a new addition to our growing firm, attorney Kathryn Hickner-Cruz, formerly of Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, P.C. Kathryn specializes in health care corporate matters, including fraud and abuse, mergers and acquisitions, and private offerings, and has significant experience in federal and state health care law compliance matters. The Health Law Partners, P.C. is excited to have her on our team of lawyers who specialize in the business of health care.

The January 2010 issue of Link, the online journal of the AHRA, is now available. This issue includes a new column called Regulatory Review, the first installment of which is called "Healthcare Marketing--Navigating the Regulatory Landscape." The column, to be a regular feature in Link, is authored by The Health Law Partners' Adrienne Dresevic and Carey Kalmowitz. In the article, Dresevic and Kalmowitz provide an overview of the legal risks that radiology providers should consider when constructing their marketing programs, together with detailed guidance on mitigating those risks.

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