Trusted Healthcare Attorneys Supporting Providers, Hospitals, and Health Systems
Stoel Rives’ healthcare group specializes in providing regulatory, operational, and transactional advice that keeps clinical operations running. We represent healthcare entities of every size, and tailor our approach to support the needs of each client, from health systems to critical access hospitals, from clinics to physician-led start-ups. In healthcare, Stoel Rives attorneys know that one size doesn’t fit all.
We have lawyers who have served as in-house counsel to health systems, technology and health-tech companies, and regulatory agencies, and we bring insider insight and a proactive, collaborative approach to solving complex healthcare challenges so our clients can focus on delivering exceptional patient care. We also have attorneys who serve as outside general counsel and outside labor and employment counsel to healthcare entities.
Our in-depth industry knowledge allows us to anticipate challenges, build solutions to mitigate risk, and effectively defend healthcare clients when disputes arise. Our lawyers bring deep experience and specialized knowledge across a variety of practice areas. We work seamlessly as a team, ensuring our clients benefit from coordinated support from every angle.
Regulatory & Compliance for Healthcare Providers
Navigating the Healthcare Regulatory Landscape
Our healthcare regulatory and compliance attorneys understand that healthcare organizations—from hospitals and clinics to digital health providers—operate under intense regulatory scrutiny with requirements that are sometimes unclear. Our team helps clients interpret and comply with a wide range of federal and state laws and regulations, ensuring that operations remain efficient and legally sound. We don’t just react to regulatory issues—we help anticipate them and build systems that support long-term compliance and growth. Our lawyers work closely with leadership and boards to ensure compliance while still advancing strategic goals.
Key Service Areas
- Provider contracting and delivery models
- Survey readiness, plans of correction, and compliance
- Telehealth and digital health compliance
- Certificate of Need processes
- Fraud and abuse prevention and response
- Privacy and data security (HIPAA/HITECH)
- Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute compliance and self-disclosure
- Compliance investigations
- Health Information Management, including 42 CFR 2 (substance use disorder records)
- EMTALA
- Hazardous waste disposal
Employment, Labor & Benefits in the Healthcare Industry
Protecting Healthcare Operations and Culture
Our healthcare employment lawyers counsel hospitals, health systems, and other providers facing unique labor and employment challenges, from 24/7 staffing to union activity and evolving benefits regulations. Our Labor & Employment and Employee Benefits teams provide proactive counsel and aggressive defense when needed, helping healthcare clients maintain a productive, compliant, and engaged workforce.
Key Service Areas
- Wage and hour compliance, staffing, and scheduling
- Union organizing and collective bargaining
- NLRB proceedings and unfair labor practice claims
- Executive compensation and employment agreements
- Employment litigation, including class action defense and retaliation claims
- Employee benefits, including ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, and mental health parity
- Investigations, including highly sensitive and high-profile matters
Healthcare Litigation and Dispute Resolution
Defending Healthcare Organizations
Our healthcare litigation attorneys represent providers, hospitals, and health systems in complex disputes that require both industry knowledge and litigation skill. When disputes arise, healthcare entities need experienced lawyers who understand the regulatory and operational context of the industry. Our litigation team is at the forefront of significant healthcare litigation throughout the West, including cutting-edge cases of first impression. We offer strategic, cost-effective representation that protects our clients’ reputation and bottom line.
Key Service Areas
- Contract disputes
- False Claims Act and qui tam defense
- Government audits, investigations, and enforcement actions
- Data breaches and cybersecurity incidents
- Reimbursement and payor disputes
- Credentialing and peer review challenges
- Negotiating and litigating insurance recovery disputes
- Insurance purchasing and strategic coverage arrangements
- Employment litigation, including class action defense and retaliation claims
Clinical Operations & Medical Staff
Strengthening Healthcare Governance and Clinical Risk Management
Our medical staff and clinical operations attorneys provide governance counsel to help hospitals and healthcare providers strengthen oversight, manage clinical risk, and preserve quality of care. Effective medical staff governance and clinical risk management is essential to quality care, clinician engagement, and legal compliance. We help hospitals and medical staffs develop policies, manage peer review processes, and resolve disputes in ways that preserve clinical integrity and operational efficiency.
Key Service Areas
- Bylaws and policy development
- Credentialing and peer review processes
- Fair hearings and related litigation
- Clinical risk management and quality assurance
- Licensure and scope of practice
- Licensing Board Investigations
- Behavioral Health – compliance, patient rights, difficult discharges
Digital Health, Telehealth & Innovation
Powering the Future of Healthcare
Technology is transforming healthcare delivery, and legal frameworks must evolve in tandem. Our telehealth and digital health lawyers help healthcare organizations and health-tech companies navigate emerging issues involving technology, data sharing, and virtual care.
Our team has substantial experience with matters involving computer systems and networks, software, and data sharing in the healthcare industry. We help clients navigate the legal complexities of digital health, from EHR implementation to HIPAA compliance for telehealth, and data interoperability.
Key Service Areas
- Electronic health records (EHR) and clinical information systems
- Telemedicine and virtual care platforms
- Data sharing and interoperability
- Software licensing and cloud-based solutions
- Health information exchanges and remote coding
- Technology procurement and outsourcing
Nonprofits, Foundations & Tax
Structuring for Healthcare Compliance, Growth, and Impact
Healthcare organizations face a unique set of legal and tax challenges. Our nonprofit and tax-exempt healthcare attorneys help hospitals, health systems, and foundations align their missions with sound formation, tax, charity, and legal strategies. Our team provides comprehensive counsel to help these entities maintain compliance, manage risk, and fulfill their missions. We also advise for-profit healthcare clients on tax planning and structuring to support sustainable growth.
Key Service Areas
- Formation, governance, and compliance
- Fundraising, grantmaking, and foundation operations
- Executive compensation and private inurement
- Joint ventures with for-profit entities
- Unrelated business income tax (UBIT)
- IRS audits and reporting obligations
- Tax structuring for mergers and acquisitions
- Tax-exempt bond financing
- Healthcare-specific tax planning for providers, insurers, and device manufacturers
Transactions, M&A and Strategic Growth in Healthcare
Supporting Healthcare Expansion
Our healthcare transaction and M&A attorneys guide clients through mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic growth initiatives. Growth in healthcare often involves complex transactions that require careful legal planning and execution. Our attorneys guide clients through the maze of federal and state regulatory compliance, financial structuring, and strategic alignment. With deep experience in healthcare transactions, we help clients seize strategic opportunities, mitigate risk, and proactively address sector-specific challenges. Our experience spans health system campuses, hospitals, physician groups, imaging centers, long-term care facilities, and behavioral health centers.
Key Service Areas
- Mergers, acquisitions, and affiliations
- Joint ventures and strategic partnerships
- Debt and equity financing
- Public-private partnerships
- Regulatory filings and antitrust review
- Land use siting and permitting
- Real estate acquisition, construction, leasing, and development
Government Investigations & Healthcare Enforcement Defense
Navigating Healthcare Government Scrutiny
Our healthcare fraud and government investigations lawyers represent hospitals, health systems, and providers facing federal or state scrutiny. Stoel Rives’ Government Investigations attorneys are skilled in managing the complexities of compliance and defense. Our seasoned team includes a former U.S. Attorney, a Chief of Special Prosecutions Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, a Department of Justice trial attorney, a former chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alaska, and numerous former Assistant U.S. Attorneys. With attorneys across key offices in California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Alaska, Idaho, and Minnesota, Stoel Rives’ Healthcare team is deeply rooted in the West with a reach that extends nationally, offering a vigorous defense in any jurisdiction.
Key Service Areas
- Healthcare fraud and abuse
- Internal investigations
- Responses to allegations and investigations
- Training and compliance programs
- Developing strategies for regulatory compliance
Related Capabilities
News & Insights
News & Publications
Press Releases
Multimedia
Tom Woods, Partner in the Litigation and Trial Practice Group at Stoel Rives, discusses a growing trend in commercial litigation involving identity theft through phishing scams. These schemes can target industries like construction and lumber, intercepting invoice communications and causing businesses to unknowingly send payments to fraudulent accounts. As a result, companies may be forced to pay twice—once to the scammer and once to the actual vendor. Woods highlights how these incidents can strain business relationships and often leave no clear party at fault, making them particularly challenging for courts to resolve.
Tom Woods, Partner in the Litigation and Trial Practice Group at Stoel Rives, outlines how enforcement and litigation under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) are evolving. While earlier cases centered on whether a company had express written consent to contact consumers, Woods notes a shift toward examining whether businesses respect revocation of consent and follow required compliance protocols—such as monitoring federal and state “Do Not Call” lists.
Vanessa Soriano Power discusses her experience defending clients against claims under Washington’s Consumer Protection Act (CPA). She explains that these claims can be brought by private parties or the Washington Attorney General, whose office has recently expanded its consumer protection efforts. Vanessa notes that her team has developed tools and practices to help clients respond to civil investigative demands and navigate changes in CPA enforcement and penalties.
Maren Norton, a partner at Stoel Rives, describes her work as a trial lawyer with a diverse litigation practice focused on environmental law, healthcare, and other highly regulated industries. She handles Superfund and state-level cleanup cases, healthcare-related litigation, and matters involving government investigations and white-collar issues. Across all areas, her work centers on helping clients navigate complex regulatory environments and interactions with state and federal authorities.
Misha Isaak, a litigation partner at Stoel Rives, discusses how evolving social and technological trends are reshaping the legal landscape for public entities. He highlights the growing complexity of First Amendment issues in the age of social media, especially for public universities balancing free expression with obligations under Title VI to maintain safe learning environments. Isaak also emphasizes the unique scrutiny faced by public institutions, whose actions often unfold in the public eye, and explains how effective litigation strategy is ultimately about solving clients’ problems—whether through settlement, creative resolution, or trial.