Laurie T. Cohen

Laurie Cohen represents healthcare clients in corporate, transactional and regulatory matters and provides counsel on a wide range of healthcare operational and compliance matters.

My practice is largely focused on assisting and advising healthcare clients including hospitals, medical groups, digital health entities, nursing homes, ambulance services, independent practice associations/provider networks and individual providers on day-to-day operational issues covering governance matters, medical staff issues, licensing and certification, managed care contracting, value-based contracting, physician recruitment and employment, billing, vendor contracting, privacy and other healthcare compliance matters.

In addition, I routinely counsel hospital clients on ways to collaborate or contract with physicians and other providers so that such arrangements are compliant with physician self-referral (Stark Law) and anti-kickback statutes and other fraud and abuse laws as well as tax-exempt rules. This includes drafting and negotiating joint venture agreements, medical director agreements, exclusive service contracts, on-call agreements and other professional services agreements.

I regularly provide guidance to healthcare clients on HIPAA privacy and security laws and regulations and related state laws and draft privacy and security policies and business associate agreements for both covered entities and business associates. I also provide counsel with respect to HIPAA breach analysis, reporting, response and mitigation activities.

I also work with a number of healthcare associations providing educational programming and other assistance on legal and regulatory changes impacting their members.

The continued implementation of federal health reform as well as state level reform efforts will provide opportunities and challenges for many clients. Outcome and/or performance based payment coupled with growing demands in regulatory compliance are among the factors driving the consolidation of healthcare providers. Collaboration and better coordination among providers is expected as is more accountability for patient outcomes. Providers who are willing to change and adapt will be the ones most likely to survive as federal and state reforms proceed.