Joel G. Wakefield

Joel has spent over 15 years assisting hospitals and other facilities as they address the many transactional, regulatory, and operational issues facing the health care industry. He helps clients structure, negotiate, and implement effective financial relationships with their business partners, with extensive experience in establishing hospital/physician joint ventures, management and administrative service arrangements, professional service contracts, and all manner of other business relationships. He counsels clients on navigating the anti-kickback laws and Stark, as well as the wide array of other regulatory obligations health care providers face. He also relies on his extended experience as in-house counsel in helping hospitals address a wide variety of day-to-day operational issues.

Before joining Coppersmith Gordon, Joel practiced for three years in the health law department of Davis Wright Tremaine in Seattle, Washington. He then became in-house counsel for Virginia Mason Medical Center, a large multi-specialty group practice with 400 employed physicians, a teaching hospital, multiple satellite clinics, a health plan and an active research center. While at Virginia Mason Joel was instrumental in establishing and advising the organization’s corporate compliance program and HIPAA team. He also served as the Director of Government Relations and as the Director of Risk Management on an extended interim basis.

EDUCATION AND BAR ADMISSIONS

• J.D., University of Chicago, 1991, with honors
• B.A., Brigham Young University, 1988
• Admitted in Arizona, 2003
• Admitted in Washington, 1991 (inactive)

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

• Representing the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association as outside counsel for the nurse registry program, managed care task force, vendor contracting, and advisor on regulatory issues
• Representing rural hospitals in establishing business relationships with community physicians, including joint ventures, on-call services agreements, and professional services arrangements
• Representing a provider-owned health plan in structuring and negotiating a management services relationship with other plans
• Serving as local counsel for national hospital systems with Arizona facilities, as well as counseling on legal aspects of out-of-state transactions
• Drafting and counseling on the development of legislation, including health plan prompt payment statues

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND RECOGNITIONS

• President, Arizona Association of Health Care Attorneys (2004-2008); AAHCL Board (2003 – present), Annual Meeting Chair (2004)
• Co-Chair, American Bar Association Health Law Section Emerging Issues Conference (2007); Committee Member (2006-present)
• President, Washington State Society of Healthcare Attorneys (2001); WSSHA Board Member (1999-2002)
• Member, Medical Group Management Association Government Affairs Committee
• Founding member and planning committee member, American Group Practice Association Counsel of Group Practice Attorneys
• Fluent in Spanish

REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS AND SPEECHES

• "Legal Developments and Credentialing for Trustees", 2007
• “Stark Reality – Phase III Final Rules and Beyond,” Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association Webinar, 2007
• “Record Management Programs: Answering the Eternal Keep or Toss Question,” AHLA Fraud and Abuse Compliance Program (2004)
• “Document Retention: A Quick Reference Guide,” Journal of Health Care Law, (Fall, 2004)
• Arizona Consent and Health Information Resource Manual, co-author (2004)