Health Care

Hospitals and physician organizations have consolidated, merged or affiliated with other organizations to drive new efficiencies or revenues. Schwabe's health care team has shepherded dozens of these mergers and acquisitions in Oregon and Washington. Schwabe is assisting multiple clients as they form or consider joining Coordinated Care Organizations.

Many hospitals have diversified into immediate care centers, nursing home management and cooperative arrangements with physician groups, health maintenance organizations and insurers. Schwabe's health care attorneys have helped their hospital clients navigate these waters successfully.

Health care professionals must adapt continually to regulatory developments. Schwabe's health care attorneys have rich experience working with physicians and physician groups in new business entity creation, CCO and ACO evaluation, financing, and in achieving regulatory compliance (Stark, Anti-markup, Anti-kickback, HIPAA and HITECH, EMTALA and antitrust).

Client Services

• Business organization. Governance, ownership structure, and compliance planning. 
• Development and documentation of transactions. Shareholder agreements, limited liability company operating agreements, physician employment contracts, employee benefit plans, dissolutions; in short, business arrangements of all kinds among and for health care providers.
• Provider Networks. Forming relationships with and among HMOs, PPOs, IPAs, CCOs, and other health care entities, insurers, and lenders.
• Licensing and regulatory disputes. Representation before licensing boards and administrative agencies.
• Trials, arbitration, and mediation. Tradition and alternative dispute resolution.
• Compliance plans. Comprehensive policies, procedures, and forms, Joint Commission updates, and Medicare requirements.
• Joint ventures. Development of joint ventures with other health care providers.
• Capital formation and expansion projects. Including real estate matters, lease arrangements, and construction matters.
• Tax and estate planning. For individual physicians, for-profit practice entities, compliance strategies for tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, and real estate valuation issues.
• Medical staff. Bylaw review and revision, representation of parties to Fair Hearings.
• Patient rights and confidentiality. Disclosure of medical information (HIPAA and HITECH), EMTALA, and state law issues.
• Legislative advocacy. Reimbursement, catastrophic insurance, Medicare and other legislative issues at the state and federal levels.

Representative Clients

• Adventist Health
• Bend Memorial Clinic, P.C.
• Northwest Specialty Clinics
• Oregon Anesthesiology Group, P.C.
• Oregon Pulmonary Associates
• Permanente Dental Associates, P.C.
• Radiation Oncologists, P.C.
• Trauma Specialists, Inc.
• The Vancouver Clinic
• Walla Walla General Hospital