Keeping a Finger on the Pulse (2023 Health Law Section Annual Program)

8:25 Welcome and Introductions

8:30 Staying Above Board: Tips for Navigating Licensure Storms

Crystal Carlisle, The Brocker Law Firm PA, Cary
Marcus B. Jimison, North Carolina Medical Board, Raleigh
Clinton R. Pinyan, Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro
James A. Wilson, Ward and Smith PA, Raleigh

This panel discussion taps into decades of combined experience representing the North Carolina Medical Board, State Board of Dental Examiners, and Board of Pharmacy, offering a rare glimpse into the regulator's point of view. Led by a moderator equally well versed in the licensure issues and challenges that health care providers face, this session offers practical strategies for helping clients remain compliant without missing out on new opportunities in a rapidly evolving health care environment.

9:30 Break

9:40 Alternative Payment Models: The View From North Carolina

Barry S. Herrin, Herrin Health Law PC, Atlanta, GA
Steven G. "Steve" Pine, K&L Gates LLP, Morrisville
Erin J. Roberts, Roberts Law Office PA, Raleigh

Delve into the different types of alternative payment models (APMs) available to North Carolina providers, case studies of differing opportunities in value-based care, as well as state law issues confronting the design and operation of APMs in North Carolina. Then discuss the trends in the value-based and APM environment and the evolution of payor-provider relationships.

11:10 Break

11:20 Keynote Address: The Current Health Care Landscape in NC

Jay Ludlam, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh

A significant influencer and leader in North Carolina, Jay Ludlam, Assistant Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, addresses the current health care landscape in North Carolina, including some of the challenges associated with navigating a post-pandemic environment and his leadership as the North Carolina Medicaid and NC Health Choice programs transform from fee-for-service to a managed care delivery system.

12:05 Lunch Break

1:05 The Impact of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization on Health Care Providers

Diana C. Castro, McGuireWoods LLP, Norfolk, VA
Sylvia Macon Kastens, McGuireWoods LLP, Charlotte

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization raises significant liability and policy considerations for individual health care providers as well as hospital and health systems. This session explores trends and legal developments in state legislative actions as a result of Dobbs. Additionally, this session discusses the numerous and various considerations providers and health care organizations will need to examine while developing and implementing clinical policies and procedures to ensure appropriate medical care is given to patients — including patients who originate in-state and those who have traveled from other states to seek care.

2:05 Break

2:15 Private Equity or Public Benefit: Nontraditional Participants in the Health Care Industry

Lou Patalano, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, LA
Kristoffer B. "Kris" Shepard, Atrium Health, Charlotte
Barton C. "Bart" Walker, McGuireWoods LLP, Charlotte

Join our panel of health law leaders and national policy experts for an in-depth discussion on the impacts of "payviders," private equity firms, big tech and other non-traditional market participants on the health care industry. Explore current trends in provider transactions in light of increased competition between regional health systems and private equity firms, and consider the long-term impact of those trends on patient access to care.

3:15 Break

3:25 Avoiding Pitfalls in Health Care-Related Matters: Practical Strategies for Navigating Common Missteps and Tricky Situations^*

Shana L. Fulton, Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Raleigh

Explore potential pitfalls and practical strategies related to attorney-client privilege in health care settings. Hear about experiences from the frontlines from a seasoned defense attorney and former Assistant United States Attorney with experience in internal and government investigations. This session reviews privilege issues related to criminal and civil litigation, investigations, issues related to board members and high-level executives, as well as impacts from the recent North Carolina Buckley decision, and how they all intertwine in the regulatory settings unique to health care organizations.

4:25 Adjourn

* Indicates portion providing Ethics/Professional Responsibility credit

Thank you

Thank you for joining us for Keeping a Finger on the Pulse (2023 Health Law Section Annual Program).

Contributors

Gina L. Bertolini

Gina L. Bertolini is a partner with K&L Gates LLP in Research Triangle Park. She concentrates her practice exclusively on health law; primarily representing academic medical centers, health systems, community hospitals, physician practices, and ancillary providers. As a result of this diversified practice, her proficiency extends to federal and state regulatory compliance matters, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, faculty practice plan and other physician compensation models, health care fraud and abuse, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), health care privacy and data protection issues including HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2, health care group purchasing organizations (GPOs), and health care corporate governance matters. She likewise maintains an active transactional practice, representing health systems, physician practices, and ancillary providers in acquisitions and joint ventures.

Gina is an active author and speaker on critical issues affecting the health care industry.

Gina earned her B.F.A., with honors, from DePaul University and her J.D. from the University of California Hastings College of Law.

Click here for more information about Gina.
Crystal Carlisle

Crystal Carlisle is an attorney with The Brocker Law Firm PA in Raleigh. She concentrates her practice in professional licensing and disciplinary matters, representing attorneys, bar candidates, medical professionals, pharmacists, therapists/counselors and contractors, among others. She represents the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners in informal and contested case disciplinary matters and unauthorized practice matters. She also reviews and analyzes management arrangements for the Dental Board.

Crystal is the immediate past Chair of the Professionalism Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association and also serves on the North Carolina Bar Association Administrative Law Council. She has also served as Secretary of the Wake County Bar Association and Tenth Judicial District Bar and on the Professionalism Committee of the WCBA/Tenth where she received the President's Award of Excellence for her work on the committee. Crystal regularly speaks at continuing legal education conferences on professionalism and disciplinary matters. She volunteers her time with Legal Aid's Lawyer on the Line and the North Carolina Bar Foundation's 4All Statewide Service Day.

Crystal attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School at night while working as a paralegal where she graduated, magna cum laude. During law school, she completed an externship with Honorable Janet T. Neff in the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Michigan and served as Senior Associate Editor of the Law Review. Crystal practiced law in Michigan for three years, primarily handling civil litigation matters, before relocating back to her home state of North Carolina. Crystal earned her B.S. in Biology from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and her M.S. in Criminal Justice–Forensic Science from Virginia Commonwealth University.

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Diana C. Castro

Diana C. Castro is an associate at McGuireWoods LLP in Norfolk, VA. She focuses her practice on the healthcare industry, advising clients on transactional matters, mergers, acquisitions, private equity transactions and healthcare regulatory compliance matters. Her practice includes advising healthcare providers, sponsors, and lenders to the healthcare industry. In representing healthcare providers, Diana works with hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, dental services organizations (DSOs), and large physician group practices.

As a law student, Diana participated as a board member of the Wake Forest Moot Court Board and served as an editorial staff member of the Wake Forest Law Review. In addition, Diana received the ABA-Bloomberg BNA Award for excellence in the study of Health Law.

Diana earned her B.S., cum laude, in Telecommunications and Political Science, with a minor in Public Leadership, from the University of Florida and her J.D., cum laude, from Wake Forest University School of Law.

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Shana L. Fulton

Shana L. Fulton is a partner at Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard LLP in Raleigh. She represents businesses and individuals in criminal and civil litigation, under government investigation or in conducting internal investigations. As a defense attorney and former Assistant U.S. Attorney, she has experience litigating and investigating high-profile and complex matters at all levels of federal and state trial courts. She loves using her deep experience as a defense attorney and federal prosecutor on complex matters that feature a mix of criminal, civil and regulatory issues.

Shana represents individuals and businesses facing white-collar criminal prosecution and government investigations. A former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, she has extensive experience handling trials and hearings in state and federal courts of all levels.

A former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, she has extensive experience handling trials and hearings in federal courts. Prior to arriving at Brooks Pierce, Shana served as the Deputy Chief for both the Felony Major Crimes Section and the General Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. She also served as Senior Litigation Counsel for the Homicide Section. Many of her previous cases garnered national news coverage, including in The Washington Post.

Shana is a member of the North Carolina, Wake County and Federal Bar Associations, North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers and the Capital City Lawyers Association.

Shana earned her B.A., with highest honors and distinction in English and Political Science, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.

Click here for more information about Shana.
Lauren S. Gennett

Lauren S. Gennett is a senior associate at King & Spalding in Asheville. Her practice focuses on the representation of healthcare clients including hospitals, healthcare companies, home health and hospice, and post-acute providers. She regularly defends healthcare organizations in government enforcement matters including investigations and False Claims Act litigation. She also advises clients on internal investigations including remediation strategies such as voluntary refunds and self-disclosures. She has significant experience counseling clients on compliance program design and effectiveness strategies, as well as obligations stemming from Corporate Integrity Agreements. She also assists clients in government audits and appeals and advises clients in various regulatory compliance and reimbursement matters.

Lauren is Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC), and has served as a guest lecturer at the Georgia State College of Law and the Emory Rollins School of Public Health.

Lauren earned her B.A., with highest honors, in Public Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was elected to the Order of the Golden Fleece Honorary Society. She earned her M.P.H., with a focus in Health Policy, from the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. She earned her J.D., with honors, from the Emory University School of Law. During law school, she was awarded the James Colson Scholarship and served as a Notes and Comments Editor for the Emory Law Journal.

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John W. Gibson

John W. Gibson is an associate at Smith Anderson Blount Dorsett Mitchell & Jernigan LLP in Raleigh. He is a member of the firm's Health Care group. He focuses his practice on advising a variety of health care stakeholders, including large physician group practices, clinically integrated networks, accountable care organizations, laboratories, long term care providers and investors focused on the health care industry. His experience includes helping clients navigate the complex federal and state regulatory environment surrounding the health care industry, including compliance under HIPAA, HITECH, Stark Law, the Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act. He also provides strategic counsel related to value-based care programs and accountable care issues generally.

John also advises clients on commercial transactions and corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, governance issues, contract negotiation, business formation and compliance with licensing rules and regulations.

John earned his B.A. from Clemson University, his M.H.A. from University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health and his J.D. from University of South Carolina School of Law.

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Barry S. Herrin

Barry S. Herrin is the founder of Herrin Health Law PC in Atlanta, GA. He regularly advises his clients on a wide variety of transactional and regulatory issues, including operations and compliance, mergers and acquisitions, medical information privacy and confidentiality, cybersecurity and data breach response, insider threat mitigation, and the formation of alternative payment model structures.

Barry is one of very few attorneys in the United States that is both a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a Fellow of the American Health Information Management Association, recognitions of his professional qualifications beyond the law. He also holds a Certificate in Healthcare Privacy and Security from the American Health Information Management Association, a credential shared by many professional healthcare information managers, as well as a Certificate in Cyber Security from Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

Barry retired in 2015 as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, in which his last duty station was as the Chief Judge Advocate for the Auxiliary. He is an Eagle Scout, an active member of the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office Volunteer Unit, and is a certified barbecue judge.

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Marcus C. "Marc" Hewitt

Marcus C. "Marc" Hewitt is a partner in the Raleigh office of Fox Rothschild and has practiced in the areas of health care and administrative litigation for almost 20 years. His practice focuses on administrative litigation, regulatory matters and a variety of commercial and business disputes. He represents hospitals, dialysis providers, diagnostic service providers, nursing facilities and other private providers and handles commercial disputes in state and federal courts, as well as state administrative litigation matters including Certificate of Need (CON) matters, licensure matters, and state government contract matters for external quality review organizations (EQROs) and Medicaid Prepaid Health Plans.

Marc also advises health care providers and related entities such as dental support organizations (DSOs) and HMOs on regulatory compliance, contracting and related issues before the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, professional licensing boards and North Carolina Department of Insurance.

Marc earned his B.A., with distinction, in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

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Marcus B. Jimison

Marcus B. Jimison is the Senior Board Attorney at the North Carolina Medical Board in Raleigh. He represents the Board in disciplinary cases involving physicians, physician assistants and other licensees. He advises the board on issues related to the corporate practice of medicine and advanced practice and allied health providers. Marcus is the primary medical board attorney assigned to the board's Advanced Practice Providers and Allied Health Committee, Nurse Practitioner Joint Subcommittee and Joint Subcommittee Panel, Joint Midwifery Committee, and the Perfusionists Advisory Committee.

Previously, Marcus was the staff attorney for the North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services from 1993 to 1998 and the managing attorney for the Land Loss Prevention Project from 1998 to 2002.

Marcus received his B.A. in History and Economics from UNC-Chapel Hill and his J.D., cum laude, from North Carolina Central University. He has been a member of the North Carolina Bar Association Health Law Section since 2002 and was a Health Law council member from 2008 to 2011.

Click here for more information about Marcus.
Sylvia Macon Kastens

Sylvia Macon Kastens is an associate at McGuireWoods LLP in Charlotte. She focuses her practice on defending clients in mass tort, environmental, public nuisance claims, and other complex civil litigation in state and federal courts. She has substantial experience in all phases of motion practice and trial preparation.

Before joining McGuireWoods, Sylvia served as a law clerk for the Honorable Rebecca Beach Smith, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia.

During law school, Sylvia served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Roger L. Gregory of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and was executive editor for the University of Richmond Law Review. Upon graduation, she received the T.C. Williams Law School Scholarship Award, presented to the graduating student who made the most significant contribution to legal scholarship. Before law school, Sylvia worked in education, teaching English in France and social studies in Bronx, New York.

Sylvia earned her B.A. in Foreign Affairs with concentration in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a minor in French, from the University of Virginia, her M.A. in Social Studies Education at Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development at New York University and her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Richmond School of Law.

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Ted Lotchin

Ted Lotchin is Vice President, Chief Compliance & Privacy Officer with WakeMed Health & Hospitals, a 1,200-bed health system located in Raleigh. In that role, he is responsible for the development, implementation, and oversight of WakeMed's comprehensive corporate integrity and compliance program.

Prior to joining WakeMed, Ted was a partner in the health law group of an international law firm. He counseled a broad range of clients, including hospitals and academic medical centers, physician practices, ambulatory service providers, and pharmaceutical and medical device companies, on regulatory, reimbursement, and transactional matters, as well as on False Claims Act litigation. He has extensive experience representing health care companies on compliance with the Stark Law, the Anti-Kickback Statute, and other relevant Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse issues. He has defended numerous qui tam cases, and handled internal investigations, self-disclosures, overpayments and other enforcement matters.

Ted previously served as in-house counsel to a major academic medical center, where he advised deans, department chairs, and other senior executives on transactional and compliance matters related to network development strategies, patient centered medical homes, and accountable care organizations, as well as on clinical outreach, data privacy and security issues, and data breach response investigations.

Ted is a member of the Health Law and Privacy & Data Security Sections of the North Carolina Bar Association. He is also a member of the Health Care Compliance Association, American Health Lawyers Association and the National Association of College and University Attorneys.

Ted earned his B.S. in Psychology and History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his M.P.H. in Health Sciences from Boston University and his J.D. from the College of William and Mary – Marshall Wythe Law School.

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Jay Ludlam

Jay Ludlam is the Deputy Secretary for NC Medicaid for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in Raleigh. He leads the transformation of the $14 billion North Carolina Medicaid and NC Health Choice programs from fee-for-service to a managed care delivery system. Previously, he served as the Executive lead for North Carolina's Medicaid Transformation initiative – a multi-year effort to transition NC Medicaid from a predominately fee-for-service delivery system to managed care. By combining best practices from other state programs with outcomes expected from local stakeholders, the NC program is considered one of the most innovative in the country.

Before Jay joined DHHS in August 2017, he was the Acting Director of the Missouri HealthNet (Medicaid) Division where he led budget and fiscal operations, information services, provider and participant support and Medicaid program administration. Prior to this role, he was the Missouri HealthNet Deputy Division Director, acting as the executive lead for implementing a statewide Medicaid Managed Care program expansion that affected over 750,000 participants.

Jay has managed claims operations for Aetna and WellCare, and oversaw Aetna's compliance function. He served as the Assistant Attorney General for the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Unit, recovering more than $3 million through negotiated plea agreements, civil settlements and summary judgments.

Jay earned his B.S. in social psychology from Grinnell College and his J.D. from University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.

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Lou Patalano

Lou Patalano is the Chief Legal Officer, Senior Vice President & Corporate Secretary at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, LA. In this role, he serves as a member of the company's Senior Management Team, leading legal, compliance, ethics, audit and government affairs functions.

Lou is an attorney with more than 20 years of deep experience in the health care industry in a diverse variety of settings, including in private practice, on the payer side, on the provider side and for the government. He was most recently of counsel in the health care practice group at K&L Gates.

Prior to K&L Gates, Lou was chief legal officer, senior vice president and corporate secretary for Sentara Healthcare and Optima Health, a large integrated delivery network headquartered in Virginia. Before Sentara, he served as deputy general counsel and vice president for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, leading day-to-day legal functions for the plan.

Lou also served as general counsel and senior vice president for Cape Fear Valley Health System, a large regional health system in North Carolina. In that position, he provided strategic legal support to the system's multiple hospitals, physicians and staff members.

As he began his career, Lou was a health care fraud prosecutor for the North Carolina Attorney General's Office and United States Attorney's Offices in North Carolina.

Lou earned his B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his J.D. from University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

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Antonia A. "Toni" Peck

Antonia A. "Toni" Peck is a partner in the Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP's Research Triangle Park office and a member of the firm's Healthcare Team. Her practice is focused on assisting healthcare providers in a variety of regulatory compliance and corporate matters, including Stark law and federal and state Anti-Kickback Statute compliance, HIPAA, 340B Drug Pricing Program, physician recruitment, medical staff issues, and antitrust concerns.

Toni also counsels healthcare entities on transactional and business matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, reorganizations, management services organizations, academic medical center affiliation agreements, and hospital-physician alignment strategies.

Toni is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America© in the field of Healthcare, as well as by Business North Carolina as a Legal Elite "Young Gun." She is active within the community, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for SouthLight Healthcare and the Goodwill Community Foundation.

Toni earned her B.A. from Duke University, her Education Certificate from University of Pennsylvania and her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law.

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Steven G. "Steve" Pine

Steven G. "Steve" Pine is a partner with K&L Gates LLP in Research Triangle Park. He is in the firm's health care practice group. He concentrates his practice on the intersection of health law compliance and dispute resolution, primarily representing public and private academic medical centers, hospitals, and health systems. His areas of focus include certificate of need contested cases; governmental and nongovernmental payment and reimbursement; health privacy; HIPAA and Common Rule research compliance; clinically integrated network (CIN) formation; alternative payment models and value-based reimbursement; federal False Claims Act litigation; administrative reconsiderations, reviews and appeals (e.g., EMTALA QIO hearings, RAC appeals and hearings, UPIC/ZPIC appeals); and Affordable Care Act compliance.

Steve joined K&L Gates as a summer associate in 2011. Prior to attending law school, Steven was a commercial real estate broker with a regional land development company.

Steve is a member of the North Carolina Society of Health Care Attorneys' Board of Directors (Chair of Governance and Planning Committee), American Health Lawyers Association, North Carolina Bar Association and the Wake County Bar Association.

Steve earned his B.S., summa cum laude, from North Carolina State University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.

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Clinton R. "Clint" Pinyan

Clinton R. "Clint" Pinyan is a partner at Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard LLP in Greensboro. He has an extended and varied practice focused on government regulation of businesses and professionals. He advocates for clients and advises them in a variety of settings, concentrating on complex business and commercial litigation, administrative and regulatory law.

Clint represents both regulators and regulated businesses and professionals, giving him extensive experience on both sides of the regulatory process. He serves as general counsel to the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy and has represented other state and local government agencies, counties and municipalities. He also represents regulated persons before agencies such as the Board of Certified Public Accountant Examiners, the Medical Board, the Board of Dental Examiners, the Psychology Board and the Social Work Certification and Licensure Board. Clint has litigated dozens of administrative hearings in North Carolina.

Clint has served on the Section Council of the Administrative Law Section and is a former Chair of the Antitrust & Complex Business Disputes Law Section. He has spoken at numerous continuing legal education programs on administrative law and antitrust law issues (and often the interaction between the two).

Clint graduated from Wake Forest University and the University of Chicago Law School. After law school, he clerked for the Honorable Frank W. Bullock on the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and practiced in the Supreme Court litigation section of an international law firm based in Washington D.C., before he returned home to Brooks Pierce.

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Erin J. Roberts

Erin J. Roberts is a partner at Roberts Law Office PA in Raleigh. She maintains an active transactional practice and has represented public and private entities in the acquisition and sale of hospitals, hospice agencies, home care agencies, and physician practices. She has represented healthcare providers in the formation and operation of Accountable Care Organizations, including Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs, and has represented hospitals and physicians in the drafting and negotiation of all types of physician services, recruitment, and employment agreements.

Prior to joining Roberts Law Office working alongside her husband Edd, Erin was a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough and an attorney at Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP.

Erin earned her B.A. from Boston College and her J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

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David A. Senter Jr.

David A. Senter Jr. is a shareholder at Young Moore & Henderson PA in Raleigh and focuses his practice on privacy and data security, particularly within the healthcare industry. He educates and advises clients in matters pertaining to privacy and data security, including breach investigation, notification and reporting requirements, as well as compliance with state, federal, and foreign privacy and data security laws, including HIPAA, FERPA, CCPA, GDPR, and PIPL, among others.

David previously served as the Interim Associate Compliance Officer and Director of Privacy of an Academic Medical Center in North Carolina.

David has been named to the North Carolina Lawyers Weekly 2023 Power List for Healthcare. He is also recognized in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© in the areas of Health Care Law and Product Liability Litigation-Defendants.

David's healthcare practice includes reviewing and developing HIPAA related policies and procedures, release of information procedure manuals and authorizations, business associate agreements, and employee training materials regarding privacy and security standards. he also assists healthcare providers and other entities with privacy and data security risk assessments and incident investigations.

In addition to his privacy and data security work, David maintains an active litigation practice where he advises and represents clients in state and federal court in a number of areas including trucking and transportation, products and premises liability, and business litigation.

David holds the Certified Healthcare Privacy Compliance designation through the Healthcare Compliance Certification Board.

David earned a B.A. in History from Wake Forest University and his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law. While at Wake Forest, he was a member of the Moot Court Board and the Student Trial Bar Board. He was selected to represent the school as a member of both the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Team, and the National Moot Court Team.

Prior to law school, David worked in sales at CDW in Chicago, IL.

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Kristoffer B. "Kris" Shepard

Kristoffer B. "Kris" Shepard is Senior Vice President, Medical Group Business Development at Atrium Health in Charlotte. He provides strategic oversight of physician affiliation opportunities.

Kris practiced law with Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson in Charlotte before joining Atrium Health legal department in 2008 and transitioning into his current leadership role in 2021.

Kris earned his B.A. in American History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his Ph.D. in American History from Emory University and his J.D. from University of Virginia School of Law.

Kris is the author of Rationing Justice, a study of legal aid lawyers during and after the Civil Rights Movement in the South, and also co-edited a collection of speeches by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., titled A Call to Conscience, while working at the Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project at Emory and Stanford University.

Click here for more information about Kris.
Barton C. "Bart" Walker

Barton C. "Bart" Walker is a partner at McGuireWoods LLP in Charlotte. He is the co-chair of the Healthcare & Life Sciences Industry Team, and concentrates on mergers, acquisitions, and healthcare regulatory compliance. His practice includes advising healthcare providers as well as equity sponsors and lenders to the healthcare industry. In connection with representing healthcare providers, he works with hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, dental services organizations (DSOs), urgent care providers, large physician group practices, end-stage renal disease facilities, and home health and DME companies on various regulatory and transactional matters.

Bart has represented lenders, borrowers and equity sponsors in various healthcare-related financing and acquisition transactions, including asset-based lending, mezzanine and senior credit facilities, and leveraged finance. He has assisted in the re-syndication and start-up of numerous ambulatory surgery centers and hospital-physician joint ventures. He regularly lectures and writes on transactional and regulatory issues affecting a wide range of healthcare businesses.

While earning his law degree from the University of Notre Dame, Bart was named a White Scholar of the Thomas J. White Center on Law and Government. As an undergraduate, he was named a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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James A. "Jim" Wilson

James A. "Jim" Wilson is a Health Care Professional Licensing Attorney with Ward and Smith PA in Raleigh. As a veteran professional licensing attorney, he has a long history of helping clients protect their livelihoods and careers.

Jim represents health care professionals in obtaining licenses, defending licensing board disciplinary investigations and charges, in hospital privilege disputes, HMO and other health insurance credentialing and de-selection, DEA registration and show cause proceedings, Medicare exclusion, NPDB reporting and disputes, and military medical credentialing.

Additionally, Jim has counseled hundreds of health care providers including physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, perfusionists, CRNA, nurses, nurse midwives, pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, psychologists, physical therapists, respiratory care professionals, speech and language pathologists, audiologists, addiction specialists, dietitians, and many others.

Although Jim primarily defends health care professionals, he also serves as prosecutor and hearing officer in hospital privileges cases at various hospitals throughout North Carolina and in other states.

Prior to joining the firm, Jim was a solo practitioner for twenty-one years and before that was the first in-house lawyer for the North Carolina Medical Board.

Jim is a past president of the North Carolina Society of Health Care Attorneys and has served several terms on the governing councils of the Health and Administrative Law Sections of the North Carolina Bar Association. He has been included in The Best Lawyers in America® in the field of Health Care Law since 2013 and has been their Raleigh Health Care Law "Lawyer of the Year" four times (2014, 2017, 2019, and 2023).

Jim is a frequent author, including twice in Prognosis, and speaker on topics related to his law practice, having spoken eight times in Health Law Section continuing legal education programs.

Jim earned his B.S. in Physics from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his J.D., with honors, from The University of North Carolina School of Law.

Click here for more information about Jim.