Overview
The health care industry in the 21st century faces tremendous change driven by growing demand, new technologies, shifting business models and intense government scrutiny. Clients benefit from Ropes & Gray’s deep experience in health care law, and our intimate knowledge of our clients’ industries, which position the firm to preempt and resolve legal issues across the full range of relevant practices.
More than 60 attorneys in Ropes & Gray offices across the United States represent virtually every sector of the global health care industry, including academic medical centers and community hospitals, health care investors and financial institutions, medical schools, pharmaceutical companies, pharmacy benefit managers, medical device companies, managed care organizations and insurance companies, health care provider organizations, physician practice groups, health care technology companies, biomedical companies, and long-term care and nursing home providers.
Our geographic scope covers major industry hubs throughout the U.S. and in international markets, with U.S. offices in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago and San Francisco, and offices, or structured networks, in pivotal global territories including London, India, Korea, China and Japan. Our experience in, and knowledge of, the health care community positions our attorneys to analyze complicated regulatory issues, anticipate trends and new initiatives, and develop creative, strategic and felicitous business solutions.
The success of our health care practice has been recognized by numerous leading independent observers. In 2021, we were named “Law Firm of the Year, Health Care” by U.S. News–Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms.” We also received multiple top honors in 2020, including “Corporate Legal Department of the Year, Health Care” from The American Lawyer; “Health Care, Pharma & Biotech Law Firm of the Year” from The Deal; “Health Care Practice Group of the Year” from Law360, for the second year in a row; and the top award for “Enabling Business Response to COVID-19” in the Financial Times’ 2020 North American Innovative Lawyers Awards. Additionally, Chambers USA has recognized multiple firm attorneys as leaders and consistently ranks our health care practice highly, as does The Legal 500 US, ranking us highly for “Health Care: Service Providers.”
Services
Ropes & Gray’s health care group provides a comprehensive range of services, including:
Strategic Counseling
Ropes & Gray has a long history of advising health care clients on matters of corporate governance, organizational structure and strategic direction. Our work in this area includes structuring governing body and governance relationships – of either a corporate or a contractual nature – that function as required.
We have extensive experience advising clients on:
- Governance and fiduciary standards
- Managed care contracting
- System network and design
- Public policy initiatives
- Government relations
- Strategic positioning
- Organizational structure
- Physician integration
- Accountable Care Organizations developments
Transactional & Capital Finance
Ropes & Gray has deep experience representing clients from virtually every sector of the global health care industry on a broad array of transactions. We regularly advise clients on:
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Disaffiliations and separations
- Joint ventures and partnerships
- Affiliations, research collaborations and licensing agreements
- Revenue development
- Complex commercial agreements
- Tax-exempt bond financing
Regulatory
Compliance with state and federal regulation has proven an increasingly prominent concern among managers of health care institutions, both in the context of day-to-day operations and in connection with individual strategic transactions. At Ropes & Gray, we apply our experience in regulatory matters to help clients successfully align their institutional practices with the directives outlined by regulatory bodies. In more than 15 states we have advised our clients on regulatory issues related to transactions and have leveraged our knowledge of the regulation of risk-based insurance contracts.
Our vast experience on regulatory issues covers:
- Medicare, Medicaid and third-party reimbursement
- Federal health care regulatory issues (e.g., FDA, Stark, HIPAA, IRB)
- Clinical research
- Fraud and abuse
- Health privacy and security
- Antitrust
- Licensure
- Public health oversight
- Intermediate sanctions
- Government enforcement
Clients
We represent participants in virtually every sector of the health care industry, including:
- Academic medical centers
- Ambulatory care centers
- Ancillary services providers
- Biotechnology companies
- Cancer centers
- Catholic hospitals and health systems
- Children’s hospitals
- Clinical laboratories
- Contract research organizations
- Disease management companies
- Health care lenders, investors and underwriters
- Health maintenance organizations and other managed care entities
- Health plans and other health insurers
- Home health providers
- Hospitals and health systems
- Insurance companies
- Integrated delivery systems
- Managed and integrated care providers
- Investment banks
- Medical schools and teaching hospitals
- Medical device, equipment and information technology companies
- Nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities
- Pharmacy benefit managers
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Physician practice groups/management companies
- Post-acute and long-term providers
- Private equity firms
- Research institutions
- Specialty hospitals
Insights
- What OIG Self-Disclosure Guidance Means For HHS Grantees (August 8, 2019)
- Senator Chuck Grassley Presses Comptroller General to Investigate Foreign Threats to Taxpayer-Funded Research (August 8, 2019)
- “Expanding Regulatory Oversight of Foreign Influence in NIH-Funded Research” (July 23, 2019)
- HHS OIG Issues Self-Disclosure Program Guidance for Research Grants and Contracts (July 22, 2019)
- NIH Issues New Guidance on “Other Support” and “Foreign Components” in Funded Research (July 15, 2019)
- “Patchwork of Privacy Laws Muzzle Medical Studies Across States” (May 28, 2019)
- India Finalizes Rules Regarding Compensation for Subjects Injured in Clinical Trials and Post-Trial Access to Study Drugs (April 22, 2019)
- New GDPR Guidance from European Commission on Interaction between EU Clinical Trials Regulation and GDPR (April 22, 2019)
- “NIH Inquiries into Foreign Affiliations, Research Support, and Award Components” (March 25, 2019)
- “Guidance Regarding Interaction Between GDPR and EU Clinical Trials Regulation Leaves Several Questions Unanswered” (February 14, 2019)
- Protecting Payment for Value – OIG and CMS Propose New AKS Safe Harbors and Stark Exceptions (October 23, 2019)
- CMS Releases Proposed Rules on PFS, QPP and Price Transparency (August 7, 2019)
- “Vertical Integration and Firewalls in Health-Care Transactions” (June 19, 2019)
- CMS Proposes New Payment Models for Radiation Oncology and End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) (July 17, 2019)
- What's New For CMS Bundled Payments Program (June 4, 2019)
- “What’s New for CMS Bundled Payments Program” (June 3, 2019)
- CMS Announces Request for Applications: BPCI Advanced Model Year 3 (May 20, 2019)
- What to Know About the CMS Primary Cares Initiative (May 7, 2019)
- “BPCI Advanced: Key Considerations for Prospective Model Participants” (April 2019)
- “Evolution of Healthcare Industry Poses New and Ongoing Compliance Risks in 2019” (March 1, 2019)
- “HHS Is Embracing A Broader Vision Of Health Care” (February 21, 2019)
- Transcending Traditional Health Care: A Growing Trend at HHS Embracing a Broader Vision of Health Care (February 13, 2019)
- “A Look Inside CMS’ New Medicare Shared Savings Program” (January 14, 2019)
- CMS Finalizes Overhaul of Medicare Shared Savings Program (January 7, 2019)
- “Scrutiny Of Physician-Owned Distributors Is Far From Over” (April 26, 2019)
- Senators Ask HHS to Step Up Scrutiny of PODs Under Sunshine Act (April 18, 2019)
- New International Pharmaceutical Practice Code Tightens Restrictions on Gifts (February 27, 2019)
- HHS Proposed Rule on Prescription Drug Safe Harbors (February 11, 2019)
- AdvaMed Releases Updated Code of Ethics (January 29, 2019)
- Podcast: Non-binding Guidance: Breakthrough Devices Program (September 12, 2019)
- Podcast: Non-binding Guidance: Expedited Review Programs for Drugs and Biologics (September 5, 2019)
- Podcast: Non-binding Guidance: Real-World Evidence in Drug Development and FDA Submissions (August 12, 2019)
- Podcast: Non-binding Guidance: Examining FDA’s Enforcement Authority Over Stem Cell Clinics and Compounders (June 28, 2019)
- Podcast: Non-binding Guidance: Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb’s Unfinished Business (May 2, 2019)
- Podcast: Non-binding Guidance: FDA’s Regulation of Products Containing CBD (March 29, 2019)
- Changes in Federal Regulation of CBD and Other Hemp Products Will Create New Opportunities for Investment, but Regulatory Challenges Remain (January 10, 2019)
- Private Equity Firm Settles with DOJ in False Claims Act Matter Based on Claims Submitted by Its Health Care Portfolio Company (September 7, 2019)
- “The Return on Investment of Healthcare Compliance” (May 15, 2019)
- “Mergers and acquisitions, private equity in healthcare primed for continued robust activity” (May 6, 2019)
- Podcast: IP(DC): Drug Prices, Political Pressures & Patents (August 20, 2019)
- “Trump’s International Drug Pricing Plan Faces Rocky Reception” (July 15, 2019)
- “3 Takeaways From Nixing Of Drug Pricing Rule” (July 10, 2019)
- “Biggest Health And Life Sci Rulings Of 2019: Midyear Report” (June 21, 2019)
- Trending Video: Drug Pricing Initiatives During the Trump Presidency (June 20, 2019)
- “Drug-Pricing Measures On The Edge Left Out Of Senate Health Package” (June 19, 2019)
- “Drugmakers Must Police Each Other Over TV Ad Price Disclosures” (May 9, 2019)
- “Coming Soon to a TV Near You: List Prices for Pharmaceuticals (3)” (May 8, 2019)
- “PBMs Want To Distribute New Rebate Payments; Pharmacists Disagree” (April 12, 2019)
- “Pay-for-Delay Drug Deals Could Jeopardize Medicare Payments” (March 11, 2019)
- “Expect Legislative Baby Steps, Not Big Leaps on Drug Prices (March 4, 2019)
- “A First Look At New HHS Prescription Drug Safe Harbors” (February 15, 2019)
- “The Trump Administration's Latest Drug Pricing Initiatives” (January 14, 2019)
- Third-Party Screening and Monitoring Are Critical for Health Care and Life Science Companies (August 29, 2019)
- New York’s Highest Court Holds that Medical Practices that Cede Too Much Control to MSOs Are “Fraudulently Incorporated” and Ineligible to Be Reimbursed by No-Fault Automobile Insurers (June 24, 2019)
- “As More Countries Seek Adequacy Decisions With EU, Will US Get Left Behind?” (February 26, 2019)
- “HHS Sets Out To Tackle Health Info Access And Exchanges” (February 22, 2019)
- In Coordinated Proposed Rules, ONC and CMS Seek to Tackle Interoperability, Information Blocking, and Patient Access to Health Information (February 20, 2019)
- “HHS Report Card: Attys Grade Health Secretary's 1st Year” (January 29, 2019)
- IRS Issues Guidance on Executive Compensation Excise Tax for Tax-Exempt Organizations (January 7, 2019)
- Webinar - What’s Happening (And Likely to Happen) With Prescription Drug Pricing
- Webinar: Opioid Prescribing Standards: Issues for Health Systems, Hospitals and Physician Groups
- Webinar: What the Proposed Fraud & Abuse Rules Mean for Today’s Deals
- Webinar: New Proposed Value-Based Care Amendments to the AKS, CMPL, and Stark Law
- Cross-Practice Team Hosts Technology Transfer Roundtable in Boston
- Health Care Partners to Present at Yale Law School Roundtable on AI, Robotics & Telemedicine in Healthcare
- Health Care Partners to Moderate Discussions at Consero Healthcare General Counsel Forum
- Health Care Partner to Present at Privacy & Security Forum
- Ropes & Gray Sponsors Kayo Women’s Private Equity and Credit Conferences
- Health Care Partner Moderates Value-Based Care Panel
- Health Care Attorney Discusses Due Diligence for Digital Health Transactions at ACI Summit
- At American Health Lawyers Association 2018 Annual Meeting, Health Care Partner to Discuss Equity Investments in Health Care
- Health Care Partner Moderated Yale Healthcare Conference Panel
- Will Value-based Care Save the Health Care System?
