A partner in Ropes & Gray’s health care practice, Devin Cohen counsels leading health care organizations and private equity sponsors operating at the cutting edge of the industry on their most important transactional and regulatory matters. He has a deep understanding of both deal mechanics and evolving regulatory landscapes in the areas of strategic investment, vertical integration, insurance and research.

Most recently, Devin has been counseling clients on a range of issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including assay and vaccine research and development, public health guidance, telehealth services, and real-time developments in diligence and combination structures.

Over the course of his career, Devin has advised a wide range of health care organizations and investors on developing and participating in value-based care arrangements and initiatives. In addition, Devin has worked with clients on matters related to pharmaceutical and medical device research and development and clinical trials, including fraud and abuse considerations, human subject protections requirements, animal welfare standards, sponsored and investigator-initiated research negotiations, and compliance monitoring.

Clients value Devin’s responsiveness, as well as his ability to cut through complexity to provide clear, actionable guidance. They also appreciate the strong people skills he brings to the table, which are particularly helpful in negotiations.

Devin’s passion for health care extends to his community service and pro bono efforts in the Boston area. He currently works with EDI Institute, a nonprofit that provides art therapy to local hospitals, among others.

Experience

Devin regularly works with a wide range of health care organizations—including academic medical centers, clinical networks, hospitals, insurers, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, and provider organizations—as well as industry investors, across areas such as:

Health care transactions and investments

  • Provide transactional and regulatory counsel to providers and investors. Two recent examples:
    • Assisting Harvard Pilgrim Health Care in its combination with Health Plans Holdings, Inc. (f/k/a Tufts Health Plan).
    • Advising H.I.G Capital on its investment in eHealth insurance brokerage.

Value-based care arrangements

  • Counsel a wide range of providers, payors, practice management organizations, vendors and industry investors in the areas of Medicare Advantage, CMMI program participation, state risk-bearing implications and insurance requirements.
  • Advise on combinations and joint ventures, including Welsh Carson’s innovative venture with Humana’s Partners in Primary Care to give Medicare patients greater access to value-based primary care.

Regulatory and compliance

  • Routinely counsel Medicare Advantage Organizations, FDRs and program vendors on Medicare Advantage regulatory and contracting standards.
  • Advise medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers on regulatory standards related to customer and patient interactions, marketing and clinician education standards, industry and jointly sponsored CME, patient assistance programs, and related compliance program requirements.

Clinical research and related activities

  • Regularly provide guidance on drug and drug component development/commercialization considerations for sites, investigators and sponsors.
  • Routinely advise institutional and start-up manufacturers, as well as CROs and trial sites, on cutting-edge clinical trial contracting negotiations.
  • Provide counsel on research affiliation agreements, including advising a large academic medical center on developing and implementing its research affiliation agreement with a local pediatric health network.
  • Conduct regulatory diligence for private equity clients regarding their planned investments in companies that participate in the clinical research enterprise.

Areas of Practice