AHLA Ambulatory Surgery Centers: Legal and Regulatory Issues (AHLA Members)

Scott Becker is a Partner in the Chicago, Illinois office of McGuire Woods LLP. Scott Becker is a partner in the health care department at McGuireWoods. He previously served on the Board of Partners of the firm and chaired the health care department for nearly 13 years.

Scott is the founder and publisher of Becker's Hospital Review and Becker’s Healthcare. He represents hospitals and health systems, health care companies, surgery center chains, large practices and private equity funds. Scott is a Harvard law graduate and certified public accountant.

Melissa Szabad is a Partner in the Chicago, Illinois office of McGuire Woods LLP. Melissa's practice focuses on health care corporate and regulatory matters. She advises various types of health care providers, including ambulatory surgery centers, ambulatory surgery center chains, and hospitals and health systems.

Her experience includes counseling clients on general corporate matters, anti-kickback and Stark issues, self-referral, corporate practice of medicine and fee-splitting prohibitions, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), certificate of need, licensure requirements, and state and federal securities matters. Melissa earned a JD Order of the Coif, at DePaul University College of Law, and a BA, magna cum laude, at Kenyon College.

Gretchen Heinze Townshend is a Partner in the Chicago, Illinois office of McGuire Woods LLP. Gretchen's practice focuses on corporate health care transactional work and regulatory matters. Her experience includes representation of various types of health care providers including hospitals, health systems, dialysis facilities, multi and single specialty medical practices, specialty hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and a variety of health care industry entrepreneurs, in sales and acquisitions, joint ventures, general corporate matters, contracting, securities, and regulatory matters.

Her work includes negotiating and drafting transaction documents and counseling clients with regard to the legal aspects of day-to-day operations, including general corporate matters; anti-kickback and Stark issues; self-referral, corporate practice of medicine and fee-splitting prohibitions; HIPAA, certificate of need and licensure requirements; and state and federal securities matters.

Following law school, Gretchen clerked for the Honorable Henry Lee Adams, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the Honorable Frederick Martone of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. She also served as an extern for the Honorable Philip Simon of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.

Erin E. Dine is an Associate in the Chicago, Illinois office of McGuire Woods LLP. Erin practices within the firm's health care department and advises her clients on a broad range of regulatory, compliance, transactional, and corporate matters, including the Anti-Kickback Statute, Stark Law, state fraud and abuse laws, state corporate practice of medicine doctrines, state licensure laws, contract drafting, and due diligence. Erin also handles transactional matters for her clients, representing health care providers in joint ventures, mergers, and acquisitions.  Her clients include ambulatory surgery centers, dental practices, dialysis centers, hospitals, and physician groups, among others.

In law school, Erin worked as a judicial extern for the Honorable Michael B. Hyman of the Illinois First Appellate District and was the Editor-in-Chief of the Loyola University Chicago Law Journal.  She was a Beazley Institute Health Law Fellow, competed on Loyola's Health Law Transactional Competition Team, and was inducted into the Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society. Erin also earned a Health Law Certificate, a Concentration in Health Care Compliance, and the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for Advanced Writing for Legal Practice: Pre-Trial Civil Litigation

LauraLee R. Lawley is a Partner in the Charlotte, North Carolina office of McGuire Woods LLP. LauraLee focuses her practice on the health care industry, representing health care providers in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, corporate governance and regulatory matters. Her clients include hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and ambulatory surgery center management companies, dialysis centers, physician practice management organizations, physician groups, dental practice, dental services organizations, veterinary practices and veterinary services organizations. LauraLee also represents lenders in transactions involving borrowers in the health care industry, as well as sponsors and private equity funds investing in the health care industry.

LauraLee's representation includes negotiating and drafting transaction documents and counseling clients with regard to the legal aspects of day-to-day operations, including general corporate matters, Anti-Kickback and Stark issues, corporate practice of medicine and fee-splitting prohibitions, and certificate of need and licensure requirements. She has assisted in the re-syndication and start-up of numerous ambulatory surgery centers and hospital-physician joint ventures.

While earning her law degree at the University of North Carolina School of Law, LauraLee was honored as a member of Phi Alpha Delta and a Chancellor’s Scholar. As an undergraduate, she was a Florida Bright Futures Scholar. She was also a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Phi Sigma Theta and Phi Eta Sigma. 

Lauren M. Ramos is an Associate in the Richmond, Virginia office of in the Chicago, Illinois office of McGuire Woods LLP. Lauren's practice focuses on corporate services, transactional, and regulatory matters for health care providers and companies.

Lauren's practice includes fraud and abuse prevention, state and federal regulatory compliance, HIPAA compliance, certificate of need issues, and health care contracts. Lauren has assisted in drafting operating agreements, asset purchase agreements, and medical director agreements and assisted in closing asset and stock purchase transactions for health care providers, including hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and dialysis facilities. Following law school, Lauren served as a law clerk to the Honorable John T. Nixon, U.S. District Court Judge for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Bradley A. Ridlehoover is an Associate in the Richmond, Virginia office of in the Chicago, Illinois office of McGuire Woods LLP. Brad assists taxpayers facing federal tax disputes, guiding them through the resolution process from the administrative audit to trial. He sat second chair in a four-day Tax Court trial involving a multimillion-dollar transferee liability dispute. To avoid the time and expense of trial, Brad helps clients reach positive settlements of income, estate and gift, and international tax disputes.

In addition to his tax controversy experience, Brad routinely advises nonprofits and charities, including public charities, colleges and universities, supporting organizations, private foundations, and charitable trusts, in dealing with federal tax and governance issues. Brad has significant experience assisting non-profit organizations in obtaining exemption from federal income tax, as well as advising these organizations regarding compliance matters, including governance issues, self-dealing, excess benefit transactions, minimum distributions, and unrelated business taxable income. For the past four years, Brad has been recognized in Super Lawyers as a "Virginia Rising Star” for his tax practice, an honor given to no more than 2.5 percent of lawyers in the state each year.

Brad is a certified public accountant licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He also is a member of the J. Edgar Murdock Inn of Court (U.S. Tax Court).

Helen H. Suh is Senior Counsel in the Chicago, Illinois office of McGuire Woods LLP. She practices within the firm’s health care department and advises her clients on a broad range of corporate health care transactional work and regulatory matters. Helen represents various types of health care providers including ambulatory surgery centers, hospitals, health systems, dialysis facilities, multi- and single-specialty medical practices, and a variety of health care industry entrepreneurs in sales and acquisitions, joint ventures, general corporate matters, diligence review, and regulatory matters.

Her work includes negotiating and drafting transaction documents and counseling clients with regard to the legal aspects of day-to-day operations, including general corporate matters; anti-kickback and Stark issues; self-referral, corporate practice of medicine and fee-splitting prohibitions; and state and federal securities matters.

Anna M. Timmerman is a Partner in the Chicago, Illinois office of McGuire Woods LLP. Anna's practice focuses on health care transactional and regulatory matters for a variety of health care providers, including hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and dialysis centers. She has assisted in drafting operating agreements and amendments, asset purchase agreements, and medical director agreements; participated in completing asset and stock purchase transactions; and advised clients regarding the Stark law, state and federal fraud and abuse laws, the corporate practice of medicine, and payer matters.

Prior to joining McGuireWoods, Anna clerked as a summer extern for Chief Judge Linda R. Reade of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa and received the University of Iowa College of Law's prestigious William L. Boyd Public Service Distinction. In 2004, Anna was an intern in the Law and Policy Section of the Environment and Natural Resource Division at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. While earning her undergraduate degree from Luther College, Anna was a member of the Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society.

Kerri A. Zelensek is an Associate in the Chicago, Illinois office of McGuire Woods LLP. Kerri focuses her practice on health care law, representing clients from various sectors of the health care industry on a range of regulatory, corporate and financial matters. Kerri has experience representing domestic and international public and private companies regarding acquisitions, divestitures and mergers in negotiated and auction scenarios, as well as debt financing and capital markets transactions.

Before joining McGuireWoods, Kerri served as corporate associate for an international commercial law firm. She also was a Public Interest Law Initiative fellow for Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services (CARPLS), where she continues to contribute as an attorney volunteer. In addition to her law degree, Kerri holds bachelor’s degrees in accountancy and finance.