Practice Areas & Industries: Akerman Senterfitt

Practice/Industry Group Overview

Our Healthcare Sector Group, which is chaired by a Board Certified Healthcare attorney, comprises approximately 25 lawyers located across our offices around the state. We are actively involved in representing the different players in the healthcare industry including hospitals and hospital systems, nursing homes, physician groups and individual physicians in most specialties, free-standing surgery centers, imaging centers, durable medical equipment companies, physician practice management companies, dialysis companies, and home health agencies.

Services Available

Our Healthcare Group represents healthcare industry clients in a wide variety of compliance, regulatory, and litigation matters, specifically including:

• Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement issues
• Compliance with fraud and abuse laws and regulations and Stark Law guidelines
• Development and implementation of corporate compliance plans
• Responding to subpoenas, audits, and investigations
• Defense of fraud and abuse cases
• Antitrust advice on structuring provider systems including IPA's, acquisitions, and the divestitures of healthcare facilities and businesses
• Licensing of facilities and health care practitioners
• Certificate of need and other regulatory matters
• Mental health law
• Guardianships
• Physician and managed care contracts
• Medical staff credentialing, including the preparation of
• Medical Staff Bylaws and the handling of medical staff disciplinary matters

We are regularly involved in federal and state tax planning for, and in the formation of, charitable foundations and tax-exempt organizations. We also represent healthcare industry clients on tax matters as diverse as letter ruling requests, Florida Department of Revenue formal and informal hearings, federal and state tax audits, and representation before the Tax Court.

Through our Government practice based in our Tallahassee office, we are able to offer clients lobbying expertise. Our attorneys in Tallahassee include the former Speaker of the Florida House and the former President of the Florida Senate. These attorneys are able not only to monitor the progress of the legislation, which may affect our healthcare clients, but they can affect its development as well. Their expertise allows us to represent healthcare clients in all aspects of regulatory processes and proceedings.

In addition to representing healthcare clients with "healthcare" issues, the Firm's broad range of expertise across all areas of practice allows us to represent healthcare clients in related areas such as employment law, public finance, antitrust, and bankruptcy. In the healthcare practice, we are able to draw on the broad experience of our colleagues and can assist our clients not only with legal matters but also with effective strategic planning, so necessary in the current rapidly changing healthcare environment.

Clients:
Radiology Associates of South Florida, P.A., Heart Life, LLC, Innovative Imaging, LLP, Questar Imaging, Inc., International Oncology Network, Inc., Radiology Associates of Miami Beach, P.A., Women's Health Services, Inc., A.R.C.H. Helicopter , Abbott Ambulance , DePaul Hospital , Good Samaritan Health Systems, Inc., Good Samaritan Hospital, Inc., Good Samaritan Medical Pavilions, Group Health Plan , Intracoastal Health Systems, Inc., Mobile Medical Industries, Palm Beach Pathology, St. Luke's Hospital , St. Mary's Ancillary Services, Inc., St. Mary's Hospital, Inc., Surgical Enterprises, Treasure Coast Center for Surgery, Parkstone Medical Information Systems, Inc., Vestar, Inc. , Nexagen, Inc. , Biogen, Inc., DNA Plant Technology Corporation, Crop Genetics International Corporation, Pharmaceutical Product Development, Inc. , Tampa General Hospital Medical Staff, University Community Independent Physician Association, Inc, Hillsborough County Crisis Center, Inc., Direct General Insurance Company, Boca Raton Community Hospital, American Healthcare, Inc., Ruffolo, Hooper & Associates, M.D., P.A., Cardiology Associates of Gainesville, P.A., Specialized Home Health Care Services of Central Florida, Inc., H.I.G. Capital , International Rheumatology Network, LLC , OncoScripts, Inc. , Sheridan Healthcare, Inc. , International Oncology Network, LLC , NET Healthcare, Inc.