Physician-Owned Clinics Lawyer

Physician-owned clinics face their own unique challenges that may go beyond just providing medical services to clients. Physicians need to be aware of the regulatory laws that need to follow and how business law applies to their practice.

At Innova Health Law, a nationwide physicians-owned clinics attorney can be your trusted partner, helping you with the legal and strategic aspects of your business. We have a deep reservoir of knowledge that we can put to work on your behalf, both to assist you in compliance with the law and to help you with business law issues. Attorney Matthew R. Ludowig is an Air Force JAG, with extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare fields.

Innova Health Law is located at 2100 West Loop South Ste 700 Houston, Texas 77027, in the Tanglewood neighborhood. Contact us today at (281) 936-9904 to learn how we can help you.

What Is a Physician-Owned Clinic?

There are generally three types of ownership structures for clinics:

• Those that are owned by hospitals
• Those that are owned by investors, such as private equity companies, that operate pursuant to a management services agreement
• Those that are directly owned by the physicians who practice at the clinic

In a physician-owned clinic, the doctors own most or all of the equity. They are the ones who are making the business decisions that affect the clinic. As a doctor, you would need to expand your expertise to include the business and legal aspects of the clinic.

Business and Legal Issues to Consider for Physician-Owned Clinics

Before you can even worry about providing medical services to patients, you need to focus on the business itself. For example, you have to structure the business in the appropriate way when it is starting, and you must draft the necessary documents to operate the business. Then, you would need a host of agreements with employees, vendors and other stakeholders. You also have to deal with insurance companies to whom you are submitting claims for payment. All of these can result in potential challenges that could be avoided with the help of a physician-owned clinic attorney who can help you prepare ahead of time.

Some legal issues that you may face include the following:

• Complying with state law, such as restrictions on referrals
• Avoiding improper relationships under the anti-kickback law
• Properly submitting invoices, so you are not subject to liability under the False Claims Act
• Complying with state-specific laws for licensing
• Protecting patient confidentiality under HIPAA
• Adhering to Medicare and Medicaid-specific rules

There is a large body of law that applies to your practice, and you need to follow all of the regulations. The failure to do so could subject your practice to liability.

Common Issues Physicians Face When Owning Clinics

There are practical day-to-day issues that could result in challenges for your practice. While you are obligated as a physician to provide medical services in a competent fashion, you must also pay close attention to business issues. As much as you want to run a profitable clinic and make as much money as possible, you cannot lose sight of compliance issues. Not only can they land you in legal trouble, but they can also affect your reputation and cost you patients.

How to Remain Within the Regulations as a Physician-Owned Clinic

The most important part of compliance is knowing the laws that you need to follow and staying ahead of the curve. The main issue is that there are so many laws and regulations that you need to comply with, while your attention may be directed towards providing medical services for your patients as best as you know how.

Compliance means being aware of the risks that you face and proactively dealing with them through policies and procedures and audits of your business. Once you have these policies and procedures in place, you need to follow them at all times.

How Can a Physician-Owned Clinic Lawyer Help You?

A physician-owned clinic attorney can help you in many ways, including the following:

• Helping you draft the business plan that will guide your practice during startup and operational phases
• Drafting the necessary documents that you need to start your practice
• Representing you in corporate transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions or seeking investment capital
• Keeping you abreast of legal obligations that you need to follow and assisting you with compliance
• Advocating on your behalf if you are engaged in a dispute
• Interfacing with regulators and government authorities as necessary

Hiring a physician-owned clinic’s attorney can help you avoid costly legal mistakes that can threaten the viability of your business. You can have peace of mind and comfort that comes from knowing that you can focus on what you do best, while an attorney handles the legal issues for you.

Contact a Physician Owned Clinics Lawyer Today

You can begin to get the legal help that you need as a clinic owner by speaking to a healthcare lawyer at Innova Health Law today. You can schedule a free legal strategy session with a physician-owned clinics attorney by visiting our website or by calling us today at (281) 936-9904.