Health care providers, whether institutions, professional groups or individuals, face enormous legal and economic challenges. The rapidly changing health care environment requires creative, yet sensible, solutions to the pressures facing the industry.  Our health care lawyers are well equipped to counsel a diverse clientele on strategies for the ever-changing health care landscape.  Our Health Care Practice Group has substantial legal and practical experience in the industry, as well as in private practice.

We represent a broad spectrum of health care clients that includes acute care hospitals, nursing facilities, home health agencies, assisted living facilities, group homes, physicians and other group practices, multi-provider contracting organizations, community mental health centers, ambulatory surgery centers, psychiatric hospitals, chemical dependency hospitals and residential treatment facilities.  The types of matters we have handled vary as widely as the clients we serve and include:

• Assistance with physician-directed start-up ventures, such as ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers and joint ventures with hospitals or other interests
• Employee contracts, benefits and compensation issues
• Advice on benefit plans, retirement or profit-sharing plans for evolving, merging, or changing medical practices
• Antitrust analysis and compliance
• Behavioral health finance, management and forensic services
• Compliance with comprehensive regulatory and payor requirements for institutions and practices
• Facilities financing, sales and leasing
• General corporate matters, securities issues and structuring issues
• General representation of hospitals, long-term care facilities and ancillary service providers
• Licensure and certification matters
• Management of health care records, including compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• Managed care contracting for physicians, hospitals and multi-provider contracting entities
• Medical malpractice defense for health care providers and risk management counsel regarding professional liability issues
• Medicare/Medicaid and third-party reimbursement issues and Medicaid leveraging matters, including Medicaid disproportionate share payments
• Multi-specialty and single-specialty physician group formation
• Peer review hearings, staff privileges and state licensure issues for physicians, other health care professionals, and hospitals and their medical staffs
• Physician practice sales, mergers, acquisitions and valuations
• Provider network formation, including POs and PHOs
• Representation before the Indiana General Assembly and other government bodies
• Tax-exempt status matters and general tax advice
• Telemedicine and technology issues
• Unwinding physician practice management and employment arrangements with hospitals
• Representing providers and professionals facing Medicare or Medicaid fraud and abuse investigations and audits, and defending health care providers charged with white collar crimes
• Legal advice and services with the acquisition, sales, and structuring of hospital business transactions

Krieg DeVault also maintains an active government affairs practice in the area of health care.  The firm has been instrumental in the creation and passage of disproportionate share hospital legislation and payment methodology in Indiana, providing additional funds to Indiana hospitals serving the highest portion of indigent care patients.  We have also drafted and helped implement the passage of community mental health center legislation and several other pieces of health care legislation of benefit to our clients.