Healthcare

Dean Mead’s Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry Team has represented both individual doctors and physicians groups, hospitals, healthcare providers, biotechnology businesses, and research and educational institutions for more than 30 years.

Our Team draws upon the cumulative talents of 10 attorneys whose collective practices embody the entire range of practice areas within the Firm, and who provide their advice and counsel to Healthcare and Life Sciences clients located throughout the State of Florida. Our professionals are very familiar with the challenges that you face in a difficult business and regulating climate.

The practice of medicine is highly regulated at both the federal and state levels of government. Increased consolidation in the medical industry and the desire of many physicians to own and operate supplemental ancillary services have made the practice of medicine more complex.

Many of our clients find navigating the complexities of modern health care practice models challenging. We understand that fact and our Team regularly assists clients in addressing issues on a wide variety of business matters such as mergers and acquisitions, employment and recruitment agreements, buy-in and buy-out, practice break-ups and physician departures, managed care reimbursement, and physician/hospital relationships.

The lawyers on our team also provide physicians and physicians’ group administrators with solutions to matters involving tax, regulatory, asset protection, estate planning, business planning and structuring, formation of business entities, contracts and agreements, mergers and acquisitions, consolidations and many other operational issues.

Dean Mead assists clients in promptly addressing legal disputes prior to or at an early stage of litigation in an attempt to reduce risk, minimize costs and resolve the situation quickly. Because litigation can be costly and time consuming, we seek practical solutions to avoid litigation whenever possible and our lawyers are experienced in alternative dispute resolution. However, if litigation cannot be avoided, we have substantial trial experience and are ready to represent our clients in court. We have extensive experience in a wide range of disputes that are relevant to the healthcare industry and have handled a wide variety of trial and appellate matters in both state and federal courts and before arbitration and administrative tribunals.

Regulatory Compliance:

The current regulatory framework governing physicians and other healthcare providers places more restraints upon physicians than any other licensed profession in the United States. Health reform will place new demands on our clients as the health delivery system undergoes change. Successful providers will embrace change and prepare for new delivery and payment models. There is an increasing intersection between the Stark law and the federal anti-kickback law, evidenced by the fact that many Stark law exceptions require compliance with that anti-kickback law. Florida’s self-referral law is in many respects more stringent than the federal guidelines. The attorneys in Dean Mead’s Health Law practice group work closely with clients to keep them well informed of changes in the law that will affect them and provide guidance for ensuring regulatory compliance. Dean Mead’s healthcare lawyers stay ahead of the curve by focusing their efforts on new developments taking shape in the industry so we may advise our clients on the best possible options. Due to the sweeping changes at the federal and state levels, our attorneys are invested in organizations that provide cutting-edge continuing education programs such as the American Health Lawyers Association and the Health Law Section of the Florida Bar.