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Douglas Wolford

Partner

Areas Of Focus
Health CareHealth Care TransactionsFalse Claims Act

Douglas Wolford helps hospitals and health systems, physician groups, physician practice management services and support organizations, ambulatory surgery centers, durable medical equipment suppliers, medical wellness and aesthetic medicine providers and other health care providers across the country improve their operations and comply with state and federal health care laws. His experience ranges from serving as in-house counsel lawyer at two of the nation’s largest publicly traded healthcare systems to a partner at the nation's largest health care law firm.  He draws from more than 17 years of practicing health care law to guide clients through strategic business transitions and compliance hurdles, whether it’s an ownership change, a new business model, new regulations, enforcement activity or important contract negotiations.

Doug has deep experience advising clients on compliance with the federal Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), False Claims Act (FCA), Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as well as various state health care fraud and abuse laws. He also counsels clients on medical staff bylaws and peer review matters, corporate practice of medicine compliance, state health care transaction notice laws, as well as day-to-day health care operational issues. When his clients face allegations or findings of significant noncompliance, Doug brings the experience and skill set needed to help them resolve those issues by guiding internal investigations, submitting Stark self-disclosures, and reviewing and developing legal and compliance policies and procedures.

For providers and investors looking to expand their health care operations, Doug performs transactional due diligence for both national investor-owned provider platforms and local independent providers with respect to regulatory compliance, such as compliance with reimbursement rules, the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute, state fee-splitting prohibitions, state health care transaction notice laws, corporate practice of medicine laws and state licensing and scope of practice rules and regulations. He also advises sell-side clients on pre-transactional compliance issues and due diligence responses when they seek to partner with or sell their business to other providers or investors. 

Doug has deep experience in structuring and negotiating compliant physician compensation arrangements, physician ownership structures and other referral source contracting and ownership strategies and related compliance issues for various types of health care provider clients, as well as negotiating, advising, and drafting noncompete and restrictive covenants.

Experience

  • Served as lead regulatory counsel in negotiation of PSA and sale of multi-state neurosurgery practice to national non-profit healthcare system.
  • Served as lead regulatory counsel for a national management service organization (MSO) platform's acquisition of physicians' clinics specializing in urology and radiation oncology practices.
  • Advised a national private equity-backed medical spa platform in its $45 million acquisition of an aesthetic medical chain with locations across five different states.
  • Counsels physician practice management support and consulting organizations specializing in durable medical equipment (DME), physician medication dispensing, radiation therapy, and behavioral medicine support. 
  • Served as lead regulatory counsel for primary care-focused, private equity-backed MSO affiliate in acquisitions of West Coast physician groups.
  • Advised multispecialty physician organization comprised of 100-plus providers with transaction preparation and compliance-related issues.
  • Serves as lead regulatory counsel for revenue-cycle management company in drafting template contracts and negotiation of agreement with national non-profit healthcare system. 
  • Advised a physician-owned medical device company with ownership structure, development of compliance program and contract negotiation with national healthcare systems.
  • Counseled  physician-owned hospitals on AKS and Stark Law compliance.
  • Advised a regional nonprofit children's hospital on referral source contracting strategies and compliance.
  • Served as lead regulatory counsel to a Midwest-based privately-owned plastic surgery and aesthetic medical chain in transaction preparation and internal regulatory diligence.
  • Serves as lead counsel for multiple independent physician groups and physician organizations regarding strategic initiatives and health care, regulatory, transactional, and compliance matters.

Education

  • Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D., 2008
  • Vanderbilt University, B.A., History and Political Science, cum laude, 2003

Credentials

  • Tennessee

Memberships and Affiliations

Professional

  • Tennessee Bar Association
  • American Health Lawyers Association, Hospitals and Health Care Systems Planning Group; Physician Organizations Practice Group; Regulation, Accreditation and Payment Practice Group; Fraud and Abuse Practice Group - Member

Civic

  • Vanderbilt Black and Gold Club
  • Operation Stand Down - Volunteer

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