Health Industry

The Recovery Act includes many provisions providing funding to improve health care infrastructure in the United States.  The Act also makes major changes to the federal health information privacy and security regime established pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).  The legislation substantially broadens the scope and expands the reach of requirements concerning the privacy and security of health information. These changes will have a major impact on many health sector participants, including individuals and entities currently treated as “Covered Entities” (defined as including certain health care providers, as well as health plans and health care clearinghouses) and the “Business Associates” that perform functions or services on their behalf.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP health industry lawyers have comprehensive knowledge of this complex, highly regulated industry and the rapidly changing issues that confront it, which is derived from more than 30 years of hands-on experience. 

The firm’s health industry practice encompasses virtually every aspect of federal and state regulation of the health care industry.  We have extensive experience in all facets of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, including counseling, litigation and representation before federal courts, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), the Provider Reimbursement Review Board, and Medicare Administrative Contractors, fiscal intermediaries and carriers.

Our health industry practice is keenly aware of the intersection between health care and policy, and our health industry practice and public law and policy attorneys work together as a team on a daily basis, providing our health industry clients with a comprehensive, integrated and seamless approach to resolving their problems. We represent our clients before Congress, HHS (particularly before CMS), the Food and Drug Administration and the Office of Management and Budget. Our team routinely tracks, analyzes and drafts legislation for a number of health industry clients, including drug and device manufacturers, various types of providers, advocacy groups, private equity firms and other corporations and institutions. This same team often prepares legislative language to reflect clients’ concerns and needs.

Our health lawyers provide extensive counseling concerning compliance with fraud and abuse laws, including the False Claims Act (FCA) and qui tam provisions, the federal Anti-Kickback Law and the Stark Law physician self-referral prohibitions, as well as analogous state laws and regulations that affect business arrangements and combinations in the health industry.  We also assists clients under investigation for health care fraud and abuse matters by the OIG, DOJ and state regulatory authorities in responding to government subpoenas, investigative demands and audits regarding health regulatory compliance. In addition, we defend clients in federal and state court actions related to such matters, including qui tam whistleblower suits.

Please visit our health industry web page for more information about our practice.

Contacts:
	Email:	Phone:
	Jorge Lopez	202.887.4128	See More…
	Jo-Ellyn Klein	202.887.4220	See More…
	Robert Salcido	202.887.4095	See More…