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Health and Life Sciences

An Integrated Approach to Health Care Law in Utah, Nevada, Idaho and Throughout the Intermountain West

 

Attorneys

Stilling, William J.
Dryer, Randy L.
Alderman, Kent B.
Holyoak, William D.
Delahunty, Robert C.
Blanch, James T.
Delaney, John E.
Ball, John P.
Bell, Scott S.
Sanchez, Jeffrey M.

In the area of health care and life sciences, the client list of Parsons Behle & Latimer includes some of the most successful managed care companies, health care providers and clinics in the Intermountain region, as well as health information and research facilities and companies involved in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products, medical devices, dietary supplements, biotech products and durable medical equipment.

Parsons Behle & Latimer attorneys assist health and life science companies at every phase of the business lifecycle. Our goal is to be a respected partner helping our clients plan for success, avoid legal pitfalls, and solve problems creatively and cost-effectively.

Many of the attorneys in this group have been active in the American Health Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association Health Law Section, American Society of Pharmacy Law and the Utah Bar’s Health Law Section.

We employ a cross-disciplinary team approach to counsel clients in the health and life sciences industries, often working closely with the intellectual property group, employment litigation group, corporate law group, tax group and litigation department.

Contact Bill Stilling [mailto: bstilling@parsonsbehle.com] or call 801-536-6765 to discuss our experience in the area of health and life sciences law.

Professional and Health Care Licensing

Regulation of health care entities and medical professionals continues to become increasingly complex. Parsons Behle & Latimer’s attorneys have a long history of helping clients avoid regulatory and licensing pitfalls.

For physicians, nurses, pharmacists and medical companies that are under investigation or have had administrative actions taken against them, we can assist them with sound, strong procedural and substantive defenses.

Attorneys focused on health care licensing and regulatory issues:

Dietary Supplements and Nutraceuticals

Utah is the center of the dietary supplement and nutraceutical industry. Some of the most important litigation has occurred here.

Dietary supplements are subject to an array of laws and regulations. With the passage of the Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act (DSHEA) in 1994, compounds formerly regulated as drugs became widely available to the public as dietary supplements.

Moreover, with passage of the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act in 2006 and the publication of the final federal rules on current good manufacturing practices (CGMPs) in 2007, companies in this area face new regulatory challenges.

To avoid civil and criminal actions by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), companies must understand the types of substances and dosage forms that qualify as dietary supplements, the difference between prohibited disease claims and permitted structure and function claims, notice requirements and other nuanced aspects of the dietary supplement regulatory scheme.

Parsons Behle & Latimer attorneys help clients avoid regulatory actions.

Attorneys focused on this area:

Pharmaceuticals, Pharmacies, Foods, Drug and Medical Devices

Our health care and life sciences attorneys have partnered with clients in virtually every area of the drug and medical device industry. With clients ranging from individual pharmacists to Fortune 500 pharmacy retailers, from small start-ups to multinational biotech and pharmaceutical companies, the firm's attorneys have assisted with drug regulatory issues and related intellectual property concerns.

Attorneys focused on this area:

Managed Care

Parsons Behle & Latimer continues to represent managed care companies and to assist them with the daunting labyrinth of laws and regulations they face. The firm’s attorneys have represented insurers, HMOs, PPOs, TPAs and PBMs. Among other areas, we provide advice about compliance with Medicaid, Medicare (including Part D), state insurance regulations, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), subrogation, HIPAA, health care provider contracting, Stark Law, federal anti-kickback statutes, state self-referral and illegal remuneration laws.

Attorneys focused on this area:

Telemedicine and Internet Pharmacies

The growth of technology continues to create new ways to deliver heath care services. Entities that wish to provide these services face a complex web of federal and state laws. The firm's health care attorneys in collaboration with its information technology practice group assists clients to face these issues and to structure their businesses to avoid disastrous consequences from state and federal agencies.

Attorneys focused on this area:

Stark (Self-Referral) and Anti-Kickback Laws

Any health care provider and entities that have financial relationships with providers know that the words "Stark Law" and "Anti-Kickback Law" will find their way into any discussion about health care transactions. With the passage of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), states are now more focused on their versions of anti-kickback laws. The health and life sciences attorneys at Parsons Behle & Latimer understand the impact of these statutes and assist clients to structure transactions to avoid self-referral problems and to avoid criminal sanctions under state and federal anti-kickback laws.

Attorneys focused on this area:

Qui Tam

The focus of federal False Claims Act actions has shifted from the defense industry to the health care industry. Companies can face catastrophic claims by the federal government or from a whistleblower who brings a qui tam action.

Parsons Behle & Latimer has a premier team of attorneys who have defended some of the largest False Claims Act actions in the West. Furthermore, with the passage of the 2006 Deficit Reduction Act, companies are subject to new requirements to educate their workforces about the False Claims Act. Parsons Behle & Latimer attorneys can assist companies with their effort to comply with the DRA.

Attorneys focused on this area:

Health Care and Life Science Transactions

Our firm’s business, tax, securities and transactional attorneys advise clients as diverse as start-up entrepreneurs to mature Fortune 500 companies.

Attorneys focused on this area:

Regulatory and Government Relations

The firm offers regulatory experience at the local, state and federal level, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), state licensing boards and insurance commissions.

For many life science companies, obtaining government and third-party reimbursement is as important as obtaining regulatory approval. The firm’s in-depth understanding of reimbursement and managed care serves as a foundation for counseling clients on such issues. Our government relations team continues to help clients initiate regulatory and legislative action and to interface with regulators as an additional business strategy for planning, and for preventing and solving problems.

Attorneys focused on this area:

HIPAA, Privacy and Health Information Technology (HIT)

Parsons Behle & Latimer provides legal services designed to help you with the technology issues involved in HIPAA and health information technology. For more information, please visit our technology law page.

Attorneys focused on this area:

Employment and Benefits Law

The firm’s health law practice takes advantage of its long-time, highly regarded employment law practice. For the last 20 years, Parsons Behle & Latimer has sponsored an annual Employment Law Seminar in Utah and more recently in Nevada.

Of particular interest to health care entities, Parsons Behle & Latimer attorneys have extensive experience in ERISA, employee benefit discrimination issues and other employment-related issues health care entities face.

Attorneys focused on this area:

Elder Law

Parsons Behle & Latimer attorneys advise clients on a broad range of issues that confront older individuals such as end-of-life planning, health care directives, and nursing home and assisted living arrangements.

Attorneys focused on this area:

For a list of new and proposed health care related rules, click here for the Utah State Bulletin.

Contact a Salt Lake City health and life sciences law attorney or Reno, Nevada, health care licensing lawyer at Parsons Behle & Latimer or call 800-293-9669 to schedule a consultation at one of our offices in Utah or Nevada.