Kristen focuses on transactions and regulatory matters for healthcare industry clients as a partner in the national healthcare practice of McGuireWoods. Kristen anticipates potential issues and provides practical counsel to clients in structuring complex healthcare deals, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and other transactions and contracting arrangements. Clients across the industry rely on Kristen’s deep healthcare experience and business-focused approach.
Kristen has extensive experience advising health systems and provider clients on strategic affiliations, physician alignment strategies and emerging healthcare delivery and payment models at the forefront of healthcare transformation. In representing private equity investors and their portfolio companies in financial transactions, Kristen’s understanding of healthcare policy and economics enables her to lead targeted diligence, optimize deal terms and advise clients on solutions for efficient expansion into new geographic territories and services. Kristen also provides post-deal healthcare counsel to help portfolio companies navigate complex regulatory requirements.
Drawing on her broad legal experience, Kristen also advises a range of healthcare clients on day-to-day operational and compliance matters, including Medicare/Medicaid requirements and reimbursement, licensure and accreditation, HIPAA and data sharing, telemedicine, federal and state fraud and abuse laws, such as the Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute and Civil Monetary Penalties Law, and other laws impacting healthcare transactions and operations, including fee-splitting and corporate practice of medicine laws.
Prior to earning her law degree and MBA at Tulane, Kristen held clinical and management positions in the behavioral health field. Kristen is a frequent author and speaker on healthcare transactions, regulations and policy developments and serves in leadership positions within healthcare, investment, and life sciences associations.
“She is a great partner for structuring transactions – she never lets the ball drop and is very efficient.” “She was outstanding.” — Chambers USA 2020
Experience
Strategic Affiliations and Healthcare Transactions
- Represents national addiction treatment provider in strategic affiliation with academic medical center focused on treatment across the care continuum, research, and community outreach and education.
- Advises private equity clients and lenders regarding potential investments and financing involving healthcare facilities, including analysis of licensure, change of ownership (CHOW), corporate practice, fraud and abuse, and other regulatory considerations. Also assists portfolio companies on day-to-day compliance matters.
- Served as transactional and regulatory counsel to health system in acquisitions, joint ventures, and syndications involving 24 freestanding ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), including orthopedic (total joint), ophthalmology, urology, otolaryngology, gastroenterology, and other surgical specialties. Negotiated management arrangements with national and regional management companies.
- Advised management services organization in arrangement with single-site physician practice and expansion to 52 practice locations across the country.
- Served as regulatory counsel in sale of Catholic hospital in Ohio to academic medical center.
- Represented tax-exempt health system in acquisition of 22 independent diagnostic testing facilities and related transactions with for-profit management company and multi-state health system and in 7 other imaging transactions involving MRI, PET, x-ray, ultrasound, nuclear imaging, mammogram, and other imaging modalities.
- Represented non-profit health system in merger with another multi-campus hospital system, including oversight of due diligence and coordination of post-closing operational and regulatory plans.
- Served as regulatory counsel in sale of Catholic hospitals in South Carolina to public company.
- Advised health system in physician alignment transactions, including practice acquisitions, employment, medical director, response and call coverage agreements and other professional services arrangements.
- Served as regulatory counsel in multiple acquisitions of home health agencies and durable medical equipment providers by private equity owned platform company.
- Represented hospital in joint venture with physical therapy provider with 18 locations.
- Represented health system in acquisition of healthcare and ancillary facilities, including urgent care centers, ASCs, laboratories, and radiation therapy facilities.
- Provided general and healthcare representation of large physician group practices and physician-owned ambulatory surgery centers, including preparation of governance documents, day-to-day operational and regulatory advice on healthcare issues, and assistance in structuring services agreements with hospital systems.
Emerging Healthcare Delivery and Payment Models
- Served as lead healthcare counsel for joint venture investment in national platform company offering advanced patient-at-home services utilizing telehealth and remote-monitoring, including agreements for implementation of hospital-at-home services.
- Assisted community hospital in development of clinically integrated network (CIN) of providers, including evaluation of corporate structure and regulatory issues and preparation of governance documents, participation agreements and CIN policies and procedures.
- Represented a large multi-employer coalition of 50+ major private sector corporations, in data use, medical and pharmacy contracting strategies to transform and improve the purchase of healthcare through the members’ self-insured health plans representing over 7 million covered lives and $27 billion in annual healthcare spending.
- Represented health system in development of direct-to-employer provider network, centers of excellence and related contracting strategies.
- Assisted hospital systems in evaluating decisions concerning participation in Accountable Care Organizations, alternative payment models, and value-based programs, including entering, exiting, and reporting under the CMS Quality Payment Program.
- Advised health system on unwind of PHO equity joint venture with community physicians.
- Advised large national employer in establishing employee health clinics in connection with restructuring of health plan options.
- Assisted in formation and arrangements of company providing on-site employer health clinic services to large national employers.
- Assisted a self-funded health plan in structuring diabetes disease management program and negotiated relevant agreements.
- Advised providers and vendors on implementing diabetes prevention program, TCM, and CCM.
Healthcare Regulatory and Compliance
- Advised children’s hospital on health data use and sharing arrangements and assisted in establishment of HIPAA organized health care arrangement with affiliated managed care plan.
- Served as regulatory counsel in acquisitions of digital health, telemedicine, telepharmacy/MTM and medical device companies by Fortune 50 healthcare services and products company.
- Assists in coordination of healthcare due diligence in $2 billion acquisition of a charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit health plan and its integrated delivery system. Assist in client’s evaluation and preliminary due diligence on other potential transactions across the country.
- Advised public company on structuring cardiac monitoring agreements.
- Advised nonprofit dialysis provider on dialysis joint ventures and physician contracting matters.
- Advises digital health company on telehealth regulations and reimbursement.
- Assists healthcare providers in implementation of telehealth, transitional care management and chronic care management.
- Advised life sciences and medical device companies on marketing strategies and compliance with fraud and abuse laws, including beneficiary inducement laws and payor policies, and the AdvaMed Code of Ethics.
- Represented healthcare clients, including manufacturers and distributors, in connection with State Pharmacy Board licensing and regulation requirements.
- Advised a client in evaluating the applicability of insurance, independent practice association and independent adjuster licensing requirements and assisted in the successful defense of a NY Department of Insurance disciplinary proceeding.
- Tulane University Freeman School of BusinessMBA2005
- Tulane University Law SchoolJD2005
- Clemson UniversityBAPsychology and Sociology1996
Chair, American Health Law Association (AHLA) Physicians and Hospitals Law Institute
Southeast Council Member, MedShare International
Advisory Board, Retention and Advanced Investment for the Southeast at Emory (RAISE)
Planning Committee, Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Chicago Healthcare Mergers & Acquisitions Program
Member, Georgia Bar Health Law Section
Member, South Carolina Bar Health Care Law Section
- Moderator, "Innovation in Healthcare Delivery and Technology," 17th Annual Healthcare Finance & Growth Conference, September 25 - 26, 2024
- Speaker, Non-Compete Applicability to Healthcare Providers and Facilities, May 23, 2024
- Moderator, "Value-Based Care," 2024 McGuireWoods Healthcare Private Equity and Finance Conference, May 9, 2024
- Co-host, "The Future of AI in Cardiology," Health+Tech Video Podcast Series, December 11, 2023
- Co-host, "Why Cybersecurity Is Essential for Healthcare Institutions," Health+Tech Video Podcast Series, November 28, 2023
- Host, "The Future of Precision Medicine With Dr. Amrie Grammer," Health+Tech Video Podcast Series, November 13, 2023
- Moderator, "Transforming the Patient Experience" and "Value-Based Care: A New Era," 16th Annual Healthcare Finance and Growth Conference, September 28, 2023
- Host, "Leveraging AI to Drive Growth," Health+Tech Video Podcast Series, September 21, 2023
- Speaker, "Value-Based Care & Value-Based Enterprises," PHA Leadership Summit, Physician-Led Healthcare for America, Scottsdale, AZ, September 12, 2023
- Speaker, Practical Antitrust Advice for Health System Leaders in 2023, August 25, 2023
- Host, "Improving Cancer Care With Digital Health Tools," Health+Tech Video Podcast Series, August 23, 2023
- Host, "How Digital Health Tools Help Create Greater Consumer Focus in Healthcare," Health+Tech Video Podcast Series, August 8, 2023
- Speaker, "Disruptive Innovation in Healthcare Delivery," Georgia Association of Healthcare Executives, July 20, 2023
- Host, "The Role of Health Systems in Fostering Healthcare Innovation," Health+Tech Video Podcast Series, July 14, 2023
- Speaker, "Can We Be Friends? Health System Approaches to PE Roll Ups of Key Medical Staff," American Health Law Association (AHLA) Annual Meeting, June 27, 2023
- Host, "The Potential for Digital Health to Improve Women’s Health Outcomes," Health+Tech Video Podcast Series, May 19, 2023
- Speaker, "Private Equity Physician Deals: What Investors, Physicians, and Hospitals Need to Know in 2023," American Health Law Association (AHLA) Health Care Transactions, April 17, 2023
- Speaker, "Unlocking the Value in Value-Based Care," ACG Chicago, March 21, 2023
- Host, "Keynote Devin Carty, 19th Annual Healthcare Private Equity and Finance Conference, Digital Health Dinner," Health+Tech Video Podcast Series, March 6, 2023
- Moderator, "Urology and Men’s Health Investments," 19th Annual Healthcare Private Equity and Finance Conference, March 1, 2023
- Host, "Virtual Primary Care," Health+Tech Video Podcast Series, December 1, 2022
- Moderator, "Thinking Big on a Budget – Frugal Innovation and Using IT as a Differentiator," 7th Becker’s Health IT + Digital Health + RCM Annual Meeting, Becker's Hospital Review, October 4, 2022
- Moderator, "What Makes an Innovator? Encouraging Inclusive Excellence in Teams," 7th Becker’s Health IT + Digital Health + RCM Annual Meeting, Becker's Hospital Review, October 5, 2022
- Moderator, "How to Create a System for Driving Effective Innovation," 7th Becker’s Health IT + Digital Health + RCM Annual Meeting, Becker's Hospital Review, October 4, 2022
- Co-host, "Keynote Amber Fencl, 15th Annual Healthcare Finance and Growth Conference, Digital Health Dinner," Health+Tech Video Podcast Series, September 15, 2022
- Moderator, "Finding the Value in Value-Based Care," 15th Annual Healthcare Finance and Growth Conference, September 15, 2022
- Moderator, "Digital Health Keynote and Dinner with Amber Fencl of Novant Health," 15th Annual Healthcare Finance and Growth Conference, September 14, 2022
- Speaker, "Private Equity Physician Deals: What Investors, Physicians and Hospitals Need to Know in 2022," PYA, Webinar, August 23, 2022
- Co-host, "The Role of Digital Health in Driving Value-Based Women's Healthcare," Health+Tech Video Podcast Series, July 21, 2022
- Speaker, "The Jetsons: Coming to a Hospital Near You! ," AHLA Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, June 27-29, 2022
- Speaker, "New Players, Higher Stakes: Upping the Ante on Physician Transactions," AHLA’s Speaking of Health Law, Podcast, May 31, 2022
- Speaker, "New Players, Higher Stakes: Upping the Ante on Physician Transactions," AHLA Health Care Transactions, Nashville, TN, April 25-27, 2022
- Speaker, "Hospital-Physician Alignments: Driving Value, Quality and Patient-Centric Care," Georgia Bar Health Law Section Advanced Healthcare Seminar – Transactions, October 7, 2021
- Speaker, "Highlights of the Stark Regulatory Rulemaking – What Physicians Need to Know Now," Georgia Independent Practice Association, September 23, 2021
- Speaker, Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) 25th Annual Compliance Institute, April 22, 2021
- Speaker, "Pandemics, Policy Changes and Value-Based Models, Oh My!," American Health Law Association Physicians and Hospitals Law Institute, February 11, 2021
- Speaker, "Physician Contracting Considerations: Stark and Anti-Kickback Statute Final Rules," Client Program, Atlanta, Georgia, January 22, 2021
- Speaker and Moderator, "The Business Landscape is Changing; Value-Based Care Safe Harbors," Southeast Life Sciences Association AdvanSE Conference, November 12, 2020
- Speaker, "Healthcare Regulatory Forecast," Association for Corporate Growth Chicago Healthcare M&A Conference, August 4, 2020
- Speaker, "Studying the New Health System and Private Equity Playbooks," American Health Law Association Transactions Program, April 21, 2020
- Speaker, "Making Sense of MACRA: Adapting to the New Quality Payment Program," American Health Law Association Physicians and Hospitals Law Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, February 10, 2020
- Speaker, "Healthcare Regulatory Forecast," Association for Corporate Growth Chicago Healthcare M&A Conference, Chicago, Illinois, May 21, 2019
- Speaker, "The Life Cycle of a Healthcare Deal," Georgia Bar Association, Atlanta, Georgia, May 16, 2019
- Speaker, "Navigating the CMS Quality Payment Program and Pathways to Success Sweeping MSSP Changes," The Knowledge Group Live Webcast, March 28, 2019
- Speaker, "What’s New and Now in Part B: Updates to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program," American Health Law Association Institute on Medicare and Medicaid Payment Issues, Baltimore, Maryland, March 20-22, 2019
- Speaker, "Making Sense of MACRA: Adapting to the New Quality Payment Program," American Health Law Association Physicians and Hospitals Law Institute, San Antonio, Texas, February 4-6, 2019
- Speaker, "Making Sense of MACRA: Adapting to the New Quality Payment Program," American Health Law Association Physicians and Hospitals Law Institute, New Orleans, Louisiana, February 5, 2018
- Speaker, "Making Sense of MACRA in the AMC Setting," American Health Law Association, National Association of College and University Attorneys, and Association of Medical Colleges Legal Issues Affecting Academic Medical Centers and Other Teaching Hospitals Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, March 9-10, 2017
- Speaker, "Making Sense of MACRA: Adapting to the New Quality Payment Program," American Health Law Association Physicians and Hospitals Law Institute, Orlando, Florida, February 1-3, 2017
- Moderator, "Preparing for Reimbursement in an Evolving Landscape," Southeast Medical Device Association Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, May 18, 2016
- Speaker, "Overview of Key Healthcare Laws," University of Georgia College of Public Health Graduate Program, April 11, 2016
- Speaker, "Medicare’s Value-Based Purchasing Program: The Cornerstone of the Shift Towards P4P," Client Healthcare Program, Atlanta, Georgia, August 26, 2015
- Speaker, "Under Attack! Navigating Cybersecurity and HIPAA Requirements for Medical Devices," Southeastern Medical Device Association Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, May 20-22, 2015
- Speaker, "Under Attack! Navigating Cybersecurity and HIPAA Requirements for Medical Devices," Southeastern Medical Device Association Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, April 1, 2014
- Georgia
- South Carolina
Selected for inclusion in America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Healthcare, Georgia, Chambers USA, Band 4, 2021, 2022, 2023; Band 3, 2024
- Author, Texas District Court Preliminarily Enjoins FTC’s Non-Compete Rule Only for Named Plaintiffs, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, July 9, 2024
- Author, Key Takeaways From the 2024 Healthcare Private Equity and Finance Conference, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, May 21, 2024
- Author, HHS Advisory Opinion Approves Profit-Based Bonus Plan for Bona Fide Physician Employees, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, October 25, 2023
- Author, Private Equity in Healthcare – An Updated Review of Selected Niche Investment Areas, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, August 7, 2023
- Author, Kristen McDermott Woodrum to Chair AHLA’s 2024 Physicians and Hospitals Law Institute, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, August 3, 2023
- Author, End of COVID-19 Emergency: Legal Implications for Healthcare Providers, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, May 1, 2023
- Author, HHS Races to Modernize Stark and Anti-Kickback Statute through Regulatory Sprint Rulemaking, Feature Article, The Journal of Healthcare Compliance, January/February 2020