We Defend Doctors

When the government comes knocking, it is crucial that you have experienced counsel who not only understands the law but also has expertise in healthcare compliance. For well over a decade, we have defended physicians, physician practices, and other healthcare providers in connection with government investigations, including False Claims Act (FCA) qui tam whistleblower lawsuits, criminal investigations, and administrative investigations such as those by the DOJ, HHS-OIG, CMS, and the DEA. Headed by a former federal healthcare fraud prosecutor, our team of healthcare attorneys and consultants brings years of experience to aggressively and strategically defend our physician clients, ensuring compliance during Medicare audits and protecting everything you have worked for.

Responding to payor audits and overpayment demands—whether from Medicare, Medicaid, or a private insurer—can be stressful and, if handled improperly, costly. Thankfully, physicians have the right to challenge these overpayment demands. However, navigating the complexities of healthcare compliance can make appealing an overpayment demand quite complicated and time-consuming, with various rules and deadlines that must be strictly followed. We have defended hundreds of Medicare audits and overpayment appeals, understanding the ins and outs of the appeal process. In addition to our healthcare attorneys and staff, we also collaborate with a team of consultants—including medical experts, billing and coding specialists, and statisticians—ensuring our physician clients have comprehensive support for any compliance issue that may arise.

The typical physician maintains numerous licenses and credentials and may occasionally need to defend them in compliance matters. We assist physicians with a wide variety of licensing and credentialing disputes, including issues related to DEA and CMS (Medicare/Medicaid) revocation, hospital and payor credentialing disputes, and Medical Board investigations. In the fast-paced world of healthcare, once you receive notice of such an issue, you typically have only a short period to request an appeal. Our team has successfully represented physicians and other healthcare providers in licensing and credentialing disputes and appeals, ensuring that their livelihoods are protected and that they can continue to focus on what they do best: caring for patients, without missing a beat. We also provide support during Medicare audits to help maintain compliance and facilitate smoother operations.

Because state medical boards have the authority to impose limitations upon, and even suspend, a physician's license to practice medicine, when a physician receives an inquiry from the Medical Board, it is imperative that the physician get an experienced healthcare attorney involved as early in the process as possible. We have represented hundreds of physicians across various specialties in compliance with state regulations before medical boards, and the vast majority of those investigations have been closed with no discipline. Moreover, our attorneys have fostered professional working relationships with Medical Board investigators and attorneys, which frequently benefits our clients when responding to and resolving a Medical Board inquiry or complaint, ensuring effective healthcare compliance and support during Medicare audits.

No physician wants to litigate, but sometimes there are no other options. Unlike many other lawyers, we actually try cases! All of our attorneys come from either government prosecution offices (including the DOJ and local D.A. offices) or large international law firms, and have extensive experience litigating complex cases in federal and state courts throughout the country. Our deep understanding of the healthcare industry and the realities of being a practicing physician allows us to effectively advocate for our physician clients' rights, particularly in matters of healthcare compliance, including Medicare audits. We leverage our low overhead and the efficiencies of a boutique-sized law firm to control costs and achieve favorable outcomes. Moreover, because our adversaries recognize our reputation as trial-ready litigators, we often reach favorable resolutions for our physician clients without the need for a full-blown trial. This means you can focus on your practice, staying in the exam room rather than the courtroom.

In healthcare, just as in medical care, an ounce of prevention regarding compliance is worth a pound of cure. With years of experience in healthcare compliance, we provide guidance and counseling to physician clients on various compliance-related matters, including reimbursement, Medicare audits, Medicaid rules and regulations, Stark and Anti-Kickback compliance, as well as HIPAA and cybersecurity compliance. Our team consists of experienced healthcare attorneys and staff, along with experts and consultants who specialize in areas such as billing, coding, and cybersecurity. Whether you need advice on reimbursement rules, assistance in building a compliance program, developing policies and procedures, reviewing contracts, or simply answering a compliance-related question, we offer the tools necessary to help you stay off the government’s enforcement radar and avoid costly audits, investigations, or litigation.

Each year, cyber criminals become increasingly sophisticated, leaving your Electronic Medical Records and computer systems more vulnerable than ever. Whether it's responding to a cybersecurity incident like a ransomware attack, defending investigations by HHS' Office of Civil Rights (OCR), addressing cybersecurity-related lawsuits or class actions, or implementing preventative measures to ensure compliance, we have been dedicated to assisting our physician and healthcare clients. Our goal is to help them remain safe, protected, and compliant, especially in the face of Medicare audits and other regulatory challenges.

If you are employed by, or contract with, a hospital or health system, you are subject to the hospital's peer review rules. Under those rules, the hospital can limit, or even terminate, your privileges, but only after a fair hearing process. It is common for hospitals to approach physicians and encourage them to consent to such discipline, but it is very important that you contact experienced healthcare counsel before you agree to anything. Because these matters are often reported to the National Practitioner Databank, they can follow you for the entirety of your caeer. We will fight for you to ensure that your rights are protected throughout the peer review process and beyond.