HEALTH & LIFE SCIENCES NEWS
HEALTH & LIFE SCIENCES NEWS
Exploring Critical Business and Legal Issues across the Healthcare and Life Sciences Industries
HEALTH & LIFE SCIENCES NEWS
Exploring Critical Business and Legal Issues across the Healthcare and Life Sciences Industries
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5 Questions with a Health Lawyer: Dr. Deniz Tschammler

by | Mar 28, 2022 |

Dr. Deniz Tschammler 
Practice Focus Area: Health and Life Sciences
Office: Munich/Frankfurt
Years at Firm: 2

What is your favorite part about practicing healthcare law at McDermott?
Apart from exciting clients and projects, a great privilege of my work at McDermott is to closely collaborate with a wide range of inspiring and outstanding health and life sciences lawyers – in our German offices, across Europe and the US. I am regularly working on large collaboration, market entry or compliance projects that involve multiple jurisdictions and/or require different legal perspectives. In such projects, it is invaluable to be surrounded by the right team of experts. After more than two years at McDermott, I am still impressed to see how quickly you find such helpful team across all offices. Moreover, everyone shares the same attitude and passion for achieving our clients’ goals. It is magnificent to be a part of this.

What is the biggest opportunity and greatest challenge facing clients in your area of focus today?
For many clients, the answer is digitization. At great speed, digitization is turning the health markets upside down. Digital health has started to revolutionize research and development, create entirely new ways of diagnosing and treating diseases, make the patient’s trip to the doctor or pharmacy unnecessary, and facilitate communication among all public and private players in the various health markets. This not only results in abolition and liberalization of outdated legal regimes, but also in new [...]

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5 Questions with a Health Lawyer: Brian Hall

by | Feb 24, 2022 |

Brian Hall
Practice Focus Area: Healthcare Transactions & Regulatory
Office: Washington, DC
Years at Firm: 3+ years

What is your favorite part about practicing healthcare law at McDermott?
It’s easily the colleagues I work with on daily basis. I’m fortunate that my practice requires me to work with attorneys across the entire Healthcare practice group and other practices at the Firm. Having colleagues who are the best at what they do is a tremendous resource for myself and our clients. I also really enjoy working on the cutting-edge legal issues our clients bring to us. Healthcare law is never static and forces us to always be learning to help clients navigate this increasingly complex legal landscape.

What is the biggest opportunity and greatest challenge facing clients in your area of focus today?
My practice is focused primarily on healthcare transactions/M&A and related regulatory issues, representing investors like private equity funds and the healthcare providers they partner with. The healthcare delivery market continues to be highly fragmented with many specialty areas attractive to potential investors. This benefits healthcare providers who are facing increasing reimbursement and cost pressures while needing to invest heavily in technology to take advantage of telehealth modalities and value-based care arrangements. One of the greatest challenges facing investor clients today is the growing competition they face from other investors as the healthcare delivery space continues [...]

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5 Questions with a Health Lawyer: Caroline Reigart

by | Feb 3, 2022 |

Caroline Reigart
Practice Focus Area: Fraud & Abuse and Reimbursement
Office: Washington, DC
Years at Firm: 2.5

What is your favorite part about practicing healthcare law at McDermott?
McDermott is fortunate to be on the cutting edge of many of the legal issues that shape the healthcare industry. My favorite part of practicing healthcare law at McDermott is collaborating with and learning from my colleagues as we tackle novel and challenging problems. The McDermott health team is known for its collaborative approach and I love being able to discuss potential approaches and strategies with my colleagues. I am constantly learning from my attorney and professional colleagues and solving obstacles with my colleagues for clients makes the workdays pass quickly.

What is the biggest opportunity and greatest challenge facing clients in your area of focus today?
Telehealth and digital health have been around for a while now, but with COVID-19 the widespread adoption of these technologies has presented huge opportunities but also significant challenges for our clients. In response to the pandemic, there are new opportunities for reimbursement for services and products provided remotely. However, the legal issues presented by these new technologies and partnerships that providers and innovators are seeking to offer are complex and require a thoughtful approach. Payment policies and guidance have also been evolving quickly, which makes staying on top of the changes difficult for clients.

What kind [...]

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5 Questions with a Life Sciences Lawyer: Brian Malkin

by | Dec 28, 2021 |

Brian Malkin
Practice Focus Area: FDA (Health Industry Advisory)
Office: Washington, D.C.
Years at Firm: 1+

What is your favorite part about practicing life sciences law at McDermott?
I joined McDermott because of the depth of expertise in its life science practice, which I had been missing at other specialty or large law firms. The depth of expertise allows us to work collaboratively for clients, each with different disciplines and strengths. My favorite parts of practice at McDermott are the opportunities for us to work in cross-collaborations, because it allows us each to offer input and provide added value to our clients from these different perspectives without the need to form working groups from multiple firms.

What is the biggest opportunity and greatest challenge facing clients in your area of focus today?
My practice in FDA and IP law focuses primarily on pharmaceutical and biological product development and life cycle intellectual property protection. While the COVID pandemic has been detrimental in many aspects, in some sense it has opened an opportunity for increased contact with the agency for new product development, particularly for products to treat COVID, rare or orphan diseases and other unmet needs.

I particularly enjoy helping companies have successful meetings with FDA to obtain valuable product development input, as well as address any challenges that come up during the way. At the same time, [...]

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5 Questions with a Health Policy Specialist: Deborah Godes

by | Nov 18, 2021 |

Deborah Godes
Focus Area: Market Access Strategies
Office: Washington, D.C.
Years at McDermott+Consulting: 8


What is your favorite part about your health policy work at McDermott+Consulting?
For me, I love the people with whom I work. It may sound a bit cliché but the people on the Market Access team at McDermottPlus each contribute in a critical way, whether it is their wealth of knowledge from their decades of experience, their analytical approach to challenges and their expertise with critical data sets, or their fresh perspective to an ongoing challenge. While we may have different roles and responsibilities in the development or execution of the strategy, we are always working together as one with the client to achieve the optimal outcome.

What is the biggest opportunity and greatest challenge facing clients in your area of focus today?
I work with clients that are bringing innovative solutions to the market whether diagnostic tests, medical devices or healthcare services, a number of which are artificial intelligence-based solutions. The biggest opportunity and the greatest challenge for our clients is the level of uncertainty from a reimbursement perspective. Some clients are introducing new concepts that the Administration has not considered previously which creates opportunities for these companies to set new precedent. However, the novelty creates challenges because the Administration may not have historically viewed medical devices or diagnostic tests in that way so it requires a change in [...]

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5 Questions with a Life Sciences Lawyer: Doug Carsten

by | Nov 5, 2021 |

Doug H. Carsten
Practice Focus Area: Patient Litigation
Office: Orange County
Years at Firm: Joined in March 2021

What is your favorite part about practicing life sciences law at McDermott?
I love working with the incredibly talented partners and associates in McDermott Will & Emery’s life sciences group. The level of disparate practice group talent here is remarkable, and I am so excited to collaborate with this team to help our fantastic life sciences clients.

What is the biggest opportunity and greatest challenge facing clients in your area of focus today?
Biggest opportunity: To work with our life sciences team!
Seriously, the biggest opportunity and challenge facing our life sciences clients are the same – the current pandemic landscape. As an opportunity, life sciences companies have never before been so much in the spotlight and viewed as a potential answer to the COVID-19 virus. On the other hand, the very nature of the pandemic has deeply affected and really changed how life sciences – and all companies – conduct business.

What kind of client work gets you most excited when it comes across your desk?
My true love is trying cases. It doesn’t matter what the issue is – if there is a trial involved, I am excited. Secondarily, I really enjoy unpacking complex fact patterns and developing strategies that the client hadn’t thought of to get around particular challenges.

What [...]

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5 Questions with a Health Lawyer: Travis Jackson

by | Sep 27, 2021 | ,

Travis Jackson
Practice Focus Area: Hospital and Health System M&A
Office: Los Angeles
Years at Firm: Joined in May 2021

  1. What is your favorite part about practicing healthcare law at McDermott? 

The people are my favorite part of being at McDermott. I am not just repeating some “corporate speak” I learned in orientation when I say that. Each person recognizes that we are part of the same team. Our collective success depends on our ability to meet and exceed our clients’ goals. Doing that consistently takes a selfless approach that we exemplify. As a firm, McDermott has unique capabilities across the healthcare industry, regardless of what the issue might be; we work with a commitment of being prepared to assist one another whenever necessary to bring that collective experience to bear on a unique transaction question or regulatory issue. I think that shared philosophy distinguishes us from many of our peers.

  1. What is the biggest opportunity and greatest challenge facing clients in your area of focus today?

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5 Questions with a Health Lawyer: Li Wang

by | Aug 5, 2021 |

Li Wang
Practice Focus Area: Transactions and Health Privacy
Office: New York
Years at Firm: 4 years

What is your favorite part about practicing healthcare law at McDermott?
In Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success, author Adam Grant discusses how knowledge collaboration (and a culture of giving) contributes to more success for organizations. My favorite part about practicing healthcare law at McDermott is its embodiment of knowledge collaboration where ideas are bounced off of healthcare experts within the group and solutions are developed through contributions from the full team. When you have multiple experts thinking through an issue from multiple angles, the end product inevitably results in high quality. I am grateful and proud to get to be a part of the collaborative culture of the team that has been consistently ranked the best in the nation.

What is the biggest opportunity and greatest challenge facing clients in your area of focus today?
Constituents in the healthcare industry are looking for innovation and reduction in inefficiencies. Just as players in other industries, such as consumer products, are always looking for the next big invention. Healthcare constituents are also seeking products, services and collaborations that they hope will improve everyday lives at the most efficient cost. We have seen innovations in telehealth, app-based healthcare services, vertical collaborations, etc., and I believe we are just at the tip of [...]

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5 Questions with a Health Lawyer: Tony Maida

by | Jul 23, 2021 |

Tony Maida
Practice Focus Area: Health
Office: New York
Years at Firm: 6 years

What is your favorite part about practicing healthcare law at McDermott?
The people and the variety. I have to be honest that when I left government service with the HHS Office of Inspector General, I did not expect to find even a similar type of camaraderie at Big Law given the time pressures and demands. I have been pleasantly surprised by how the health group truly functions as a team. People help each other out, whether it is to contribute to a pitch, thought piece, or client project, and do so with enthusiasm. This espirit de corps is an ingrained part of the culture.

And I am happiest when I have variety in my work. At McDermott, I work with clients across the healthcare spectrum, from health systems, physician practices and post-acute providers and suppliers, life sciences and technology companies as well as payors. These clients present many regulatory issues to grapple with and having this broad industry viewpoint helps give the best-informed advice and identify practical solutions.

What is the biggest opportunity and greatest challenge facing clients in your area of focus today?
It is a bit of a cliché to say healthcare is always changing, but sometimes clichés are true. We have a confluence of a few large issues 1) changing payment models in part driven by government budgets and aging population, [...]

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5 Questions with a Health Lawyer: Sandra M. DiVarco

by | May 21, 2021 |

Sandra M. DiVarco
Practice Focus Area: Health
Office: Chicago
Years at Firm: 19 years

What is your favorite part about practicing healthcare law at McDermott?
I sometimes joke that there is “never a dull moment” in my practice, but it really isn’t a joke! With the spectrum of clients we serve in the healthcare space, we are faced daily with novel questions, complex situations and unique business issues – often with incredibly short timelines. Even after years of practice, no two days are exactly the same and I would not have it any other way.

What is the biggest opportunity and greatest challenge facing clients in your area of focus today?
My practice is primarily focused on assisting hospitals and healthcare systems with the diversity of regulatory and corporate issues they face every day. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, adapting to the changing nature of healthcare was posing challenges for these providers. The pandemic accelerated the use of what were previously novel care delivery processes, fueled by regulatory flexibilities permitted during the public health emergency. How hospitals and health systems will further adapt by scaling back (in cases where flexibilities are not made permanent) or ramping up (where regulatory changes are made permanent) will be the next challenge. Revenue hits from the pandemic and provider burnout may dampen some of the energy for major change as we emerge from [...]

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