Andy Ramirez Appointed Chair of Health Care Practice Group
Member Andy Ramirez (Health Care - Overland Park) has been appointed the chair of the Health Care practice group at Lathrop & Gage. The move comes as outgoing chair Gail Halterman has accepted the position of Vice President and General Counsel for Essence Group Holdings Corporation, a St. Louis-based company whose subsidiaries provide insurance and software services to healthcare providers.
"Gail's impact on the healthcare industry and on this firm has been a significant one, and she will be missed," said Mr. Ramirez, who is also a member of the firm's Executive Committee, and concentrates his practice on the representation of community-based hospitals. “Her expertise in the field has justly been recognized with several awards and publications. The firm owes her a debt of gratitude for her years of service to the firm, and we look forward to collaborating with her in the future in her new capacity as General Counsel of a significant healthcare concern in this region of the country.”
Under Ms. Halterman’s leadership, Lathrop’s health care law practice group established the popular health care blog, House Calls, which alerts the health care industry to recent developments in health care law and regulations.
In her practice at Lathrop & Gage, Ms. Halterman assisted hospitals, health plans, physicians, long term care facilities and other health care providers with regulatory and compliance issues. Gail advised health care providers in developing compliance plans and understanding and addressing issues involving HIPAA, state and federal licensure and certification, federal and state reimbursement, risk management, EMTALA and health care fraud and abuse. In 2008 she was selected as a "Rising Star" by Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers.
The health care law practice group at Lathrop & Gage is widely recognized as one of the most respected teams of health care attorneys in the region. The group has extensive experience in providing advice and counseling to health care providers regarding regulatory and reimbursement issues, litigation matters and complex transactions. The practice group includes a former State Assistant Attorney General, a former United States Attorney, past presidents and directors of the Kansas Association of Hospital Attorneys and the Missouri Society of Health Care Attorneys, and several attorneys selected for the health care section of "Best Lawyers in America."
Mr. Ramirez is a frequent speaker and author on topics concerning health care policy and hospital management. In recent years, he has spent the bulk of his time assisting regional and national health care associations and the members of those associations with a broad range of issues.
His public service includes six years on the Douglas County Planning Commission, which he chaired in his second year of service. He was also a Judge pro tempore for the Municipal and Seventh Judicial District Court, and Adjunct Professor to the University of Kansas Law School. In 1989, the Kansas Governor appointed him to the Kansas Civil Rights Commission, which he chaired in his second year. He is currently one of the longest serving members of the Kansas Supreme Court Board of Discipline, the body responsible for advising the court on the ethics and licensure of members of the Bar.
About Lathrop & Gage:
A full-service law firm, Lathrop & Gage L.C. has 300 attorneys in 10 offices nationwide – from Denver, Colo. to New York, New York. In 2008, Chambers USA ranked Lathrop & Gage’s corporate, environmental, intellectual property, litigation, real estate and labor and employment teams among the best in the Midwest.
