Laura Johnson Evans

Administrative/regulatory/accreditation:

• Certificates of need for acute care hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities, and imaging facilities
• Non-applicability determinations for various facilities, including medical office building projects, renovation projects, equipment projects, and hospital closures
• Defended multiple certificate of need and exemption challenges related to South Carolina facilities
• Advised hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, freestanding emergency/urgent care centers, skilled nursing centers, and birthing centers on licensure and certification issues
• Assisted physicians, nurses, social workers, substance abuse counselors, and opioid treatment centers in licensure and certification matters, including appeals of license denials and adverse licensure actions
• Resolved disputes over survey or site visit processes and findings, including licensure, life safety, certification, and construction surveys
• Advised regarding ramp down and closure process for three acute care hospitals
• Led response to "immediate jeopardy" notification to acute care hospital
• Assisted hospital and skilled nursing facility clients with responses to statements of deficiencies in state licensure, CMS, and accreditation surveys
• Provided advice on COP compliance, including drafting of plans of correction, responding to statements of deficiency, and managing immediate jeopardy situations
• Led or participated in Joint Commission and DNV survey teams, including preparation and on-site response

Fraud & Abuse:

• Advised physician groups, hospitals, and other health care providers on joint venture and other arrangements with health care entities
• Advised physicians and hospitals on Stark law exceptions for wide variety of transactions and arrangements
• Defended laboratory during DOJ investigation into business arrangements with referring physicians
• Defended physician group during DOJ/DEA dispensary investigation
• Assisted hospital and physician groups in responding to 340B, ZPIC and RAC audits
• Assisted hospital and physician clients in submitting voluntary repayments to federal health care programs following discoveries of overpayments
• Provided advice regarding potential relationships between referral sources

Physician-specific issues (physician practice management, contracting, integration):

• Advised on the formation of hospital networks
• Assisted physician groups on operations, business and regulatory issues
• Advised on terminating physicians who are exhibiting quality of care issues
• Provided guidance on medical staff issues and employed physician contracting
• Drafted or reviewed physician PEAs and mid-level EAs
• Provided risk management and compliance training for physician groups
• Advised on crisis management, HR, behavioral issues
• Negotiated and drafted service line co-management agreements
• Drafted administrator employment agreements
• Drafted and negotiated various agreements with physicians and physician groups, including employment, independent contractor, call coverage, recruitment, services, practice formations, practice buy-ins and buy-outs (and associated disputes), as well as office or equipment leases and subleases

Risk Management/Other:

• Act as outside general counsel to hospitals
• Act as advice counsel on operational issues to various providers
• Perform compliance surveys for various providers
• Perform risk management surveys
• Perform medical staff and non-physician staff training on a variety of subjects
• Perform medical staff committee training on a variety of subjects
• Advised on drafting of various legislation affecting health care providers, including medical malpractice tort reform, notice of intent process, birth center accreditation, peer review