Overview

About Ronak

Ronak Chokhani is a health care transactional and regulatory attorney, whose clients consider him to be a strategic legal, business, and operational advisor. Ronak’s clients particularly appreciate his unparalleled responsiveness, thoroughness and attention to detail, and eagerness to understand their business as well as they do.

Ronak advises providers, payors, and other health care organizations on a variety of complex matters, including affiliations and joint ventures, M&A and financing, provider contracting, fraud and abuse, private and government reimbursement and audit, privacy and security, licensing and scope of practice, medical staff and credentialing, peer review, corporate practice of medicine, etc.

In addition to serving his clients, Ronak also serves as the Chair of the Stoel Rives Associates of Color affinity group and First Vice-Chair of the Washington State Bar Association, Health Law Section’s Executive Committee (term: 2022–23; previously served as Member at Large, 2021–22).

Type of Work Ronak Does

Ronak advises clients on a wide range of complex health care matters, including affiliations amongst provider and payor organizations and provider contracting (including preparing professional service agreements, medical director agreements, payor contracts, managed care payment arrangements, employment agreement for physicians and other licensees); M&A and financings (e.g., purchase/sale of provider groups/clinics/facilities, investments in health technology and life science entities); corporate governance and entity formation; corporate practice of medicine compliance including structuring management service/dental service organizations); Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement matters including enrollment, overpayment audits and self-disclosures; fraud and abuse compliance (Stark Law/Physician Self-Referral Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, Anti-Rebate Law, False Claims Act); privacy and security matters (HIPAA Part 2, Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and Attorney General investigations and data breach response including ransomware attacks, information blocking compliance, FERPA, state privacy laws); complaints against providers and investigations by licensing boards; medical staffing; peer review; licensing and credentialing; scope of practice; and care delivery issues.

Types of Clients Ronak Represents

Ronak advises providers, payors, and health care organizations (and firms who invest in such organizations), such as physician and other provider groups, hospital systems, health plans and insurers, managed care entities, health technology and biomedical/life science companies, clinics and facilities (hospitals, urban Indian organizations, federally qualified health centers, ambulatory surgical centers, skilled nursing facilities, clinical labs, rural health clinics, assisted living and intermediate care facilities, behavioral health clinics, SUD treatment clinics, imaging centers, etc.), and individual licensees (physicians, physician assistants, nurses and nurse practitioners, psychologists, counselors, therapists, social workers, behavioral analysts, and other allied health professionals).

Commitment to the Community and the Firm

In addition to practicing law, Ronak supports organizations such as Project Access Northwest, Legal Voice, Choose 180, and SOUND health.

He serves as a board member of Project Access Northwest, a member of Washington Medical Legal Partnership’s Lawyer Referral Committee and Stoel Rives Coaching and Mentoring Committee, and as the Chair of the Stoel Rives Associates of Color affinity group and the Young Lawyer Subcommittee of the Washington State Bar Association, Business Law Section’s Executive Committee.

Expand to Read More + See Less -
Experience

Experience

Health Care Regulatory Experience

  • Fraud and Abuse
    • Advise on Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute and state fraud and abuse issues in connection with cross-state acquisition of radiology group and related affiliation with hospital.
    • Advise large physician owned radiology group on compliance with Stark group practice and applicable exceptions.
    • Analyze Stark and Anti-Kickback Statute risk associated with referrals of a large telehealth and professional services platform in connection with client’s seven-figure investment in the platform.
    • Structure a urology group’s acquisition and establishment of a new clinic to comply with Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute, and prepare agreements (personal services agreement, space and equipment rental agreement, etc.) that qualify for applicable exceptions and safe harbors, including helping client navigate fair market value considerations.
    • Assess risk of Anti-Kickback Statute noncompliance associated with bonus payable by a health network to a physician as an incentive to join the network.
  • Reimbursement
    • Represent DMEPOS provider regarding Medicaid overpayment audit (preliminary and final audit findings) and negotiate settlement from six-figure overpayment to low five-figure.
    • Represent highly regulated facility that provides care to differently abled children with respect to rate calculation dispute with Medicaid agency and related overpayment audit.
    • Represent substance use disorder treatment provider with respect to overpayment audit and self-disclosure issues.
    • Assist national provider of intermediate care facilities with enrollment in Medicaid programs in Idaho and Alaska, and advise on post-enrollment billing and reimbursement issues, including interfacing with Medicaid agency to provide support.
    • Advise on risk of overpayment liability with respect to acquisition of clinical lab, radiology clinic, etc.
  • Privacy and Security
    • Draft privacy and security policies and procedures, including policies that comply with HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, information blocking rules, and state privacy laws including laws governing mental health and other specially protected information.
    • Conduct breach assessment and respond to ransomware attack at a service provider who serves as business associate to numerous covered entities, and manage related investigation by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, OCR.
    • Conduct breach assessment and phishing incident at a multi-specialty provider resulting in a HIPAA breach notice to more than 20,000 individuals, and manage related investigation by OCR.
    • Respond to OCR inquiry related to patient allegations of HIPAA Privacy Rule violations by a large behavioral health provider.
    • Respond to Attorney General investigation into allegations of unlawful disposal of medical records by a large behavioral health provider.
    • Draft HIPAA authorization/release of information consent forms and notice of privacy practice for variety of clients.
  • Other Important Matters
    • Advise on No Surprises Act and good faith estimate compliance issues.
    • Advise numerous providers in connection with CARES Act and Provider Relief Fund compliance.
    • Assist large multi-state behavioral health and dental service providers with corporate practice of medicine/corporate practice of dentistry compliance.
    • Advise hospitals and facilities on variety of operational and care delivery issues, e.g., alignment of termination of pregnancy procedure policies with Oregon law, preparing policies related to accepting outpatient orders from non-medical staff providers, preparing policy regarding reporting of unprofessional conduct, preparing policy and training for compliance with good-faith estimate requirements, and advise on compliance with No Surprises Act.
    • Advise multi-state radiology provider on establishing a federal and multi-state law compliant peer review program, including advising on Washington CQIP plan.
    • Advise cutting-edge provider of urgent care services on applicability of licensing rules governing hospital emergency departments and laws governing advertising as a provider of emergency services.
    • Assist provider in setting up mobile clinics and temporary sites, including COVID testing and vaccine delivery clinics.
    • Assist a federally qualified health center to establish an oxygen tank rental program.
    • Prepare informed consent forms for variety of clients, including forms that comply with complex state consent laws governing minors and incapacitated individuals with respect to specially protected treatment such as mental health and SUD services.

Health Care Transactional Experience

  • Corporate, M&A and Financing
    • Conduct buy-side diligence and clean-up of capitalization table for behavioral health provider in connection with nine-figure investment from various sources, underwriting and eventual IPO.
    • Advise large physician owned radiology group on several acquisitions of, and joint venture with, other radiology groups and imaging centers (low- to mid-seven figure deal values), including advising on related corporate practice of medicine and fraud and abuse issues.
    • Advise private equity client in connection with $25 million investment in an ophthalmology group.
    • Assist behavioral health client with establishing a Management Service Organization (MSO) and post-acquisition integration of clinics located in over 15 states within the MSO model, including preparing management services agreements and stock transfer restriction agreements.
    • Assist IV infusion therapy provider to set up an MSO under the “friendly-doc” model.
    • Advise client in connection with seven-figure investment in a telehealth and professional services platform.
    • Prepare physician shareholder agreement for a urology physician group.
    • Served as local counsel for buyer to prepare a licensing opinion for skilled nursing facilities in connection with financing for a large acquisition.
  • Provider Contracting
    • Prepare and negotiate several professional service agreements and medical director agreements with hospitals, physician groups and imaging centers on behalf of large radiology group.
    • Prepare medical director agreement for non-profit community health center.
    • Prepare and negotiate physician employment agreement for urology physician group.
    • Prepare multi-party professional services agreement involving a large health plan and affiliated physician group and hospital system.
    • Prepare delegation agreements for large hospital system.
    • Advise providers in connection with reimbursement arrangements with coordinated care organization/managed care organizations.
    • Advise managed care organization/coordinated care organizations regarding reimbursement contracts with Oregon and Washington health care authorities.
    • Draft and revise managed care organization’s delegation agreement with providers to conform with revisions to state contract on an annual basis.
  • Privacy and Security
    • Draft and negotiate business associate agreements between covered entities and business associates, and business associates and subcontractors.
    • Draft and negotiate qualified service organization agreement in compliance with 42 CFR Part 2.
    • Draft and negotiate data use agreements, privacy addendums to vendor contracts, and care quality information sharing agreements in connection with provider affiliations and joint venture parties.
Expand to Read More + See Less -
Honors

Honors & Activities

Professional Honors & Activities

  • Included in Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch in America (Corporate Law), 2023
  • First Vice-Chair (2022–2023) and Member at Large (2021–2022), Executive Committee, Health Law Section, Washington State Bar Association, 2021–2022
  • Young Business Lawyers Committee Chair for Washington State Bar Association, Business Law Section’s Executive Committee (2021–2023)
  • Chair of Stoel Rives Associates of Color Affinity Group (2022–2023)
  • Member of Stoel Rives firmwide Associates Committee (2020–2022)
  • Member of Stoel Rives’ Seattle Office Coaching and Mentoring Committee (2021–present)
  • Member of Stoel Rives’ Firmwide Coaching and Mentoring Committee (2023–present)
  • Member of Washington Medical Legal Partnership, Lawyer Referral Committee
  • Student Member, Garland R. Walker American Inn of Court, 2018–2019
  • Student of the Year, Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, 2019
  • CALI Excellence for the Future Awards (i.e., highest grade in the class), Thurgood Marshall School of Law, 2016–2019:
    • Legal Research and Writing
    • Advanced Legal Analysis
    • Advanced Bar Review
    • Employment Law
    • Constitutional Law
    • Wills, Trusts and Estate Administration
    • Criminal Procedure
    • Texas Civil and Criminal Procedure
    • Sports Law
    • Baseball and the Law
Expand to Read More + See Less -
Insights & Presentations

Insights & Presentations




Related News & Publications


Expand to Read More + See Less -
×
Saved Pages

Use the arrows to arrange content.  Download pages as a .pdf file or share links via email..

{{ item.Title }} {{ item.AttorneyPosition }}, {{ item.AttorneyLocation }} , C. {{ item.AttorneyCell }} , P. {{ item.AttorneyPhone }} , F. {{ item.AttorneyFax }} {{ item.TypeText }} Remove
You have no pages saved
            {{ state | json }}