Expanded Leadership Recognizes Expertise, Evolving Industry Trends
Varnum partners Zachary J. Meyer and Sarah L. Wixson have been promoted to lead the firm’s Health Care Practice Team. The dual leadership role is in recognition of the pair’s industry expertise, as well as the firm’s expanding slate of service offerings in the health care industry across the Midwest.
Corporate partner Scott Alfree, who has led the team for several years, welcomed the new leadership, noting their broad range of experience serving a variety of health care clients.
“It’s gratifying to see Varnum’s health care practice expand both geographically and with regard to our service offerings, and I am delighted to welcome Zach and Sarah to the leadership role,” Alfree said. “Each of them brings unique talent and experience to the practice.”
News of the duo’s promotion was featured in Law360.
Meyer’s work with health care clients focuses on corporate governance and structuring, contracts, transactions and regulatory compliance. He has advised various physicians’ groups in business acquisitions, dispositions and combinations, including the sale of a medical device business line, acquisition of a 70-physician multi-specialty practice by a health system, the spinoff of a five-physician specialty practice, and the combination of two specialty practices into one 38-physician specialty practice. He has additionally counseled two community hospitals in their acquisition by regional health systems.
Wixson’s experience in the health care industry includes working with physician groups, hospitals and health care entities on compliance and regulatory matters as well as contracts, licensing and credentialing, health information technology and risk management matters. She routinely advises individual physicians and physician groups on health care-related contracts and employment contracts, including master service agreements. Wixson is also an experienced litigator and represents health care clients in legal disputes such as contract disputes and regulatory investigations.
Meyer and Wixson said they are excited about their leadership roles as well as the expanding opportunities within the industry.
“From the rise of private equity in health care, to industry consolidation and the proliferation of value-based contracting, the industry continues to create complex legal issues that our team is uniquely situated to advise on,” Wixson said.
Meyer added, “We’re thrilled to lead a team that is well-positioned to help our health care clients stay one step ahead in an evolving industry.”
Varnum’s health care team is comprised of 20+ attorneys providing a comprehensive suite of services for the health care industry, from advising on emerging trends in risk-based contracting to billing and reimbursement issues and insurance fraud, physician retention and relations, compliance and regulatory matters including FDA and HIPAA, data privacy, labor and employment, state facility and professional licensing and Medicare certifications.