Where Medicine Meets Law

Jones & Keller’s attorneys provide a wide array of legal services relating to health care. This complex, rapidly evolving body of law presents challenges to all sectors of businesses, including health care systems, hospitals, long-term care facilities, home health agencies, ambulatory care facilities, physician groups, provider networks (i.e., IPAs, PHOs, etc.), payors (including HMOs, PPOs, and self-funded benefit plans), diagnostic testing facilities, licensed medical providers, insurers, employers and individuals.

Our attorneys provide advice and assistance to clients in the health care field respecting corporate and organizational matters, business planning, sales and mergers of practices, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. We assist with regulatory compliance, such as privacy and HIPAA issues, and represent various health care professionals in discipline and licensing matters before their respective professional boards. Our attorneys have extensive experience advising and representing physicians, medical groups and other health care entities regarding the Stark Law antikickback statute and reimbursement implications of existing and proposed arrangements between hospitals and physicians, antitrust, competition, discipline, licensing and privilege matters in internal, state and federal administrative and judicial proceedings. The firm advises clients and handles litigation on issues including medical staff matters, exclusive contracting, joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions, affiliations and managed care contracting.

For private practitioners, we provide advice and consultation regarding formation of professional business organizations, negotiating of leases, purchase and/or merger of practices and the acquisition, development, purchase and sale of real property for medical office use.

We help physicians address internal privilege matters with hospitals, and assist hospital-based physicians in federal and state court litigation when they have been excluded from their practices for economic, rather than quality-of-care reasons. We have represented physician independent practice associations in investigations and litigation by the Federal Trade Commission.

Our attorneys assist insurance companies and HMOs, as well as insurance agencies, with their corporate, regulatory and other compliance needs. We regularly represent employers and individuals who have health care and claims issues or coverage disputes.

We also help associations and employers who have self-funded medical, health and welfare benefit plans under ERISA to negotiate and implement insurer contracts, plan documents, compliance programs and to resolve claims issues.