Primary Contacts
Additional Contacts
Burford & Ryburn, L.L.P. routinely advises and represents its clients in a variety of issues that fall under the category of health law.
General Issues Include:
- HIPAA
- Managed Care
- Insurance coverage issues
- Arbitration proceedings on collection of charges under HMO contract
- Revision of hospital and medical staff bylaws
- Peer review proceedings involving physicians and allied health care professionals
- Coordinating legal aspects of Medicare and Medicaid compliance reviews
- Reviewing and drafting hospital policies
- Drafting policies and procedures regarding EMTALA, termination of pregnancy, adoptions, pronouncement of death, codes in non-nursing areas and informed consent
- Drafting and reviewing contracts between hospital entities and third-party service providers
- Presentations and opinions on various medical/legal issues to medical staff, hospital committees, and administrators
- Real Estate transactions for health care entities-purchase and sale
- Fraud and abuse issues
- Drafting, reviewing and negotiating professional services contracts
Due to the efforts of Lisa Athens, Burford& Ryburn, L.L.P. has developed considerable expertise in the area of HIPAA regulations and HIPAA compliance. Ms. Athens is a partner in the firm, a 1992 graduate of St. Mary's University School of Law, a member of the State Bar of Texas, Dallas Bar Association, Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Texas Women Lawyers Association, and Dallas Women Lawyers Association. She has substantial experience both in writing and in providing practical advice to health care professionals and others as it relates to matters involving health care law. She also has substantial experience as a litigation attorney in dealing with health care issues, which has provided her with an important additional perspective in how to communicate about compliance issues. She has been advising a major health care system client for the past two years on HIPAA compliance issues and has developed policies and procedures and other reference material for use within that organization. She has addressed health care professionals, health care organizations and physician organizations with respect to HIPAA compliance issues and has monitored the development of HIPAA regulations from their inception.
Steven N. Wakefield is a partner in Burford & Ryburn, L.L.P. and has been a partner in the firm since 1982. He has many years of experience representing health care clients. Representative clients include Baylor Health Care System, Texas A&M University Health Science Center-Baylor College of Dentistry, Methodist Hospitals of Dallas, Texas Health Resources, Hopkins County Medical Center, Champion EMS, Trinity Mother Frances Health System, Health Texas Provider Network, and Good Shepherd Medical Center (among others). He is a 1975 graduate of Southern Methodist University and is a member of the Labor and Employment Law section of the State Bar of Texas. He is a frequent speaker to health care professionals on Labor and Employment issues including issues of privacy. He has written a number of policies, procedures, and memoranda advising clients on privacy issues. Mr. Wakefield also has substantial trial experience involving employment and compliance-related issues. He has litigated cases involving claims of employment contract, covenants-not-to-compete and many others. He believes that education and other preventive steps can be effective in avoiding litigation. His background has made him particularly adept in communicating complex issues in a way that is useful and understandable by client personnel at all levels.
Traditionally Managed Care companies are slow pay, deny payment or reduce payments. Burford & Ryburn, L.L.P. now offers health care facilities and providers a solution to this problem.
The Firm will:
- Set-up procedures to establish clean claims
- Pursue collection of underpaid, slow paid or no pay accounts at hourly rates or contingency fee
- Assist in negotiation and drafting of managed care contracts