Christi J. Braun, a Member of the Antitrust Practice of Mintz, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., and Laurence J. Freedman, a Member of the firm’s Health Law Practice, are speaking at the 15th Annual Conference on Emerging Issues in Healthcare Law presented by the American Bar Association Health Law Section. The conference is being held February 26-March 1 in Litchfield Park, Arizona.

Ms. Braun will moderate a panel entitled, “Healthcare M&A Post-Consolidation Roundtable.” The panel, representing hospitals, physicians and payers, will discuss the impact of recent consolidation in the healthcare industry.

Mr. Freedman will participate in a panel discussion entitled, “Expanded Liability for Payors under the False Claims Act: Escalating Risk and Response for Managed Care Organizations.” This session will discuss enforcement theories and liability risks to Medicare Advantage and other managed care organizations.

The 15th Annual Conference on Emerging Issues in Healthcare Law provides a unique opportunity for federal and state government lawyers, in-house counsel and private practitioners to learn from each other. Participants will have the opportunity to hear about the most timely and important issues facing today’s health care attorneys.

Ms. Braun focuses on litigation of antitrust and commercial matters and counseling clients on issues involving antitrust compliance, mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures. Capitalizing on her education and experience, Ms. Braun specializes in working with health care clients, including hospitals, doctors, provider organizations, pharmaceutical vendors, trade associations, and insurers. Her experience includes guiding clients through physician-hospital joint ventures, hospital acquisitions of physician practices, and physician practice mergers as well as helping physicians and hospitals in developing and implementing clinical integration programs and accountable care organizations.

Mr. Freedman’s health care and life sciences litigation practice focuses on defending clients against fraud allegations and investigations under the False Claims Act and its qui tam provisions. He is highly experienced in representing clients against actions brought by federal and state agencies including the US Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS OIG), the United States Attorneys’ Offices, and state OIGs and Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs).

Attorneys in Mintz Health Law Practice, many of whom have held senior government positions or served as in-house counsel, represent for-profit and non-profit, domestic and international companies in connection with a wide variety of business and legal transactions, challenges and issues that they confront both on a daily basis and in bet-the-company matters. Clients span the full spectrum of the industry, including hospital systems, managed care organizations, laboratories, long-term care providers, durable medical equipment suppliers, behavioral health companies, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, retail pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers.