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A patient with back pain wouldn’t go to a primary care physician for back surgery. That’s why health care professionals and facilities should choose a Board Certified health care attorney with a higher level of specialty expertise to avoid problems and comply with the law.
 
Today’s health care professionals and others doing business in the health care arena must accomplish their business objectives while complying with some of the most complex, constantly changing regulations in any industry. It’s critical for them to understand that deals and contracts that are legal in other industries, such as real estate, may be unlawful for physicians and health care companies.
 
“In some cases, while a contract from a general corporate attorney may be crafted beautifully, the substance of the transaction itself could be illegal, causing physicians to risk losing their licenses, Medicare status and even face criminal prosecution,” said Sandra Greenblatt, Esq.
 
Greenblatt’s specialty health law firm, Sandra Greenblatt, P.A., provides creative, practical legal advice to the health care industry. Greenblatt, a Board Certified Health Lawyer, serves physicians, entrepreneurs and executives of health care providers, facilities, networks, Management Services Organizations (MSOs) and payers. The firm focuses on specialized contracts, mergers and acquisitions and general counsel services for its health care clients.
 
With years of experience in the health care industry, Greenblatt has an insider’s perspective, which gives her an advantage and benefits her clients. She holds both a J.D. and Master’s Degree in Business/Health Administration, and previously was a hospital administrator at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center.
 
Prior to founding her firm in 2003, Greenblatt practiced law with prominent national and regional law firms, including Greenberg Traurig and McDermott Will & Emery. She is one of the first Florida lawyers to be board certified as an expert in health law.
 
Board Certified attorneys must have a minimum of five years of substantial health law practice (Greenblatt has 26), have good references, and sit for a specialized health law bar exam. To maintain this certification, lawyers must have at least 100 continuing education credits every five years in health care topics, plus meet other stringent criteria.
 
This knowledge, along with years of experience, personalized attention and accessibility, differentiates Greenblatt’s firm and helps her provide value-added service. As a specialty firm, she can reach out and select the best specialists to help clients in matters she does not handle, such as litigation, securities and tax. “Each lawyer involved values the client as his or her own and will offer the best possible service,” she said. “That kind of teamwork is efficient and more cost effective for clients.”
 
Greenblatt has developed a subspecialty in technology contracting to help protect her clients’ interests when they make considerable investments in medical software systems, such as those needed for Electronic Health Records and practice management systems.
 
“These are often huge expenditures, but generally the contracts are vendor favorable,” Greenblatt said. “They do not protect the client when there are issues and problems. Often, we see that a health care provider’s remedies are limited, because the contract was not negotiated in their best interest.”
 
Greenblatt enjoys the variety and ever changing nature of health care law.
 
She frequently participates in seminars and publishes articles to educate health care professionals about potential legal issues and challenges. Recent topics have included health care technology contracting, employment and shareholder agreements for physicians, the Stark Law and the benefits of forming group practices.
 
“Anybody doing business in health care should have a relationship with a Board Certified Health Lawyer,” Greenblatt said. “People think of attorneys only when they get in trouble, but by then it may be too late. I see myself as an advisor who helps my health care clients when they have questions or want to start or expand their businesses, so they can avoid problems later and stay in compliance with the law.”