AHLA's Speaking of Health Law

The 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) final rule provides insight into how the current administration is thinking about value-based reimbursement. Adam Laughton, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig LLP, speaks with Alex Kirkland, Senior Vice President, Coker Group, about the trajectory of value-based reimbursement and what is happening in traditional Medicare under the 2026 MPFS. They discuss issues related to alternative payment models (APMs) and conversion factors, steps that providers need to take to qualify as an APM (including investments in electronic health records and an analysis of costs versus benefits), and compliance considerations. Alex recently co-authored an article in Health Law Connections magazine about this topic. From AHLA’s Physician Organizations Practice Group.

Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-ZCaG-clNI

Read the Health Law Connections article: https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/content-library/connections-magazine/article/6e583147-a398-42ab-85c6-293440c564da/Review-of-the-Challenges-and-Requirements-of-Becom

Learn more about AHLA’s Physician Organizations Practice Group: https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/practice-groups/practice-groups/physician-organizations 

Essential Legal Updates, Now in Audio

AHLA's popular Health Law Daily email newsletter is now a daily podcast, exclusively for AHLA Comprehensive members. Get all your health law news from the major media outlets on this podcast! To subscribe and add this private podcast feed to your podcast app, go to americanhealthlaw.org/dailypodcast.

Stay At the Forefront of Health Legal Education

Learn more about AHLA and the educational resources available to the health law community at https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/. 

CMS’ Health Technology Ecosystem Initiative (HTE) is an ambitious effort announced by the White House and CMS to modernize the nation’s digital health infrastructure and expand data sharing beyond traditional clinical settings into the broader health and wellness ecosystem. At the center of this initiative is the CMS Interoperability Framework, which builds on prior federal interoperability efforts and emphasizes standardized data exchange, defined participant roles, secure and privacy-respecting data sharing, and patient-centric access. Ann Tiffany, Compliance Consultant, Clearwater, speaks with Melissa Soliz, Partner, Coppersmith Brockelman, and David Lee, Principal, Leavitt Partners, about what the HTE means for privacy, data governance, stakeholder obligations, enforcement, and liability risk. An AHLA Bulletin was published that explores this topic. From AHLA’s Health Information and Technology Practice Group. Sponsored by Clearwater.

Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo336Nt9Tg4

Read the AHLA Bulletin: https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/content-library/publications/bulletins/02d2b6d5-7394-4598-be58-aeead87c363f/Legal-Perspectives-for-Health-Care-Attorneys-on-th 

Learn more about AHLA’s Health Information and Technology Practice Group: https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/practice-groups/practice-groups/health-information-and-technology

Learn more about Clearwater: https://clearwatersecurity.com/ 

Essential Legal Updates, Now in Audio

AHLA's popular Health Law Daily email newsletter is now a daily podcast, exclusively for AHLA Comprehensive members. Get all your health law news from the major media outlets on this podcast! To subscribe and add this private podcast feed to your podcast app, go to americanhealthlaw.org/dailypodcast.

Stay At the Forefront of Health Legal Education

Learn more about AHLA and the educational resources available to the health law community at https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/. 

Governmental investigations can strike anxiety into any health care organization. Richard Merino, Managing Director, BRG, speaks with Leia Olsen, Lead System Compliance & Investigations Counsel, Ascension, Jonathan Porter, Partner, Husch Blackwell LLP, and William Brady, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP, about how health care organizations can strategically respond to governmental inquiries. They discuss the different types of investigative demands, how governmental investigations usually start, the first 48 hours and why organizations should conduct “parallel investigations,” why collaboration with the government usually makes sense, and when to approach the question of a settlement. Leia, Jonathan, and William spoke about this topic at AHLA’s 2025 Fraud and Compliance Forum in Baltimore, MD. Sponsored by BRG.

Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STRn0GWUX1o

Learn more about BRG: https://www.thinkbrg.com/

Learn more about AHLA’s 2025 Fraud and Compliance Forum: https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/fraud-and-compliance-forum

Learn more about AHLA’s 2025 Fraud and Compliance Forum eProgram: https://educate.americanhealthlaw.org/local/catalog/view/product.php?productid=1672 

Essential Legal Updates, Now in Audio

AHLA's popular Health Law Daily email newsletter is now a daily podcast, exclusively for AHLA Comprehensive members. Get all your health law news from the major media outlets on this podcast! To subscribe and add this private podcast feed to your podcast app, go to americanhealthlaw.org/dailypodcast.

Stay At the Forefront of Health Legal Education

Learn more about AHLA and the educational resources available to the health law community at https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/. 

Per recent Illinois legislation, Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) in the state are now required by law to become licensed, and by January 1, 2027, owners of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) businesses must also become licensed. Meanwhile, two bills have been proposed in the Illinois Legislature this year that removes the requirement that owners of ABA businesses be licensed and contemplates BCBAs owning professional entities. John Saran, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP, speaks with Karem Alnatafgi, Founder and CEO, Peak Behavioral Services, Inc., and Veronica Glickman, Founder and CEO, Autism Behavioral and Educational Services, Inc., about the impact of these new licensure requirements and how the industry is adjusting.

Watch this conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GhihdKX0_E

Essential Legal Updates, Now in Audio

AHLA's popular Health Law Daily email newsletter is now a daily podcast, exclusively for AHLA Comprehensive members. Get all your health law news from the major media outlets on this podcast! To subscribe and add this private podcast feed to your podcast app, go to americanhealthlaw.org/dailypodcast.

Stay At the Forefront of Health Legal Education

Learn more about AHLA and the educational resources available to the health law community at https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/. 

Rob Gerberry, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Summa Health, speaks with Michael Peregrine about how health care corporate governance may be impacted by the rapid acceleration in artificial intelligence (AI) sophistication and utilization, and the implications for its future development. They discuss how the board should approach its fiduciary responsibilities and interact with senior executive leadership in the face of this rapid AI acceleration.

Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FykGUMuYcQ

Essential Legal Updates, Now in Audio

AHLA's popular Health Law Daily email newsletter is now a daily podcast, exclusively for AHLA Comprehensive members. Get all your health law news from the major media outlets on this podcast! To subscribe and add this private podcast feed to your podcast app, go to americanhealthlaw.org/dailypodcast.

Stay At the Forefront of Health Legal Education

Learn more about AHLA and the educational resources available to the health law community at https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/. 

Alé Dalton, Partner, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, speaks with Kelly S. Street, Shareholder, Egerton McAfee Armistead & Davis PC, about his unique journey from farm boy to soldier to lawyer. They discuss Street’s experiences as a first-generation college student growing up on his grandparents’ Tennessee farm, what he learned serving in the U.S. Army, transitioning to law school as a veteran, what specifically drew him to health law and what his practice looks like, and why it is important for attorneys to find a “champion” or be one. They also discuss Street’s role in Backcountry Unit Search & Rescue, an all-volunteer team that supports search and rescue efforts at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. From AHLA’s Early Career Professionals Council.

Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSEpS0rnjRI

Essential Legal Updates, Now in Audio

AHLA's popular Health Law Daily email newsletter is now a daily podcast, exclusively for AHLA Comprehensive members. Get all your health law news from the major media outlets on this podcast! To subscribe and add this private podcast feed to your podcast app, go to americanhealthlaw.org/dailypodcast.

Stay At the Forefront of Health Legal Education

Learn more about AHLA and the educational resources available to the health law community at https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/. 

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is gaining attention. Although CMMC originated within the Department of Defense, its reach is expanding into the health care ecosystem, often in ways that health care organizations don’t fully anticipate. Dave Bailey, Vice President of Consulting Solutions & Strategy, Clearwater, speaks with Jenifer McIntosh, Of Counsel, Stinson LLP, about when CMMC applies, how it differs from familiar health care compliance frameworks, and why third-party and supply chain risk are central to CMMC readiness. They also explore where health care organizations may be underestimating their CMMC exposure and what practical steps they can take to prepare. Sponsored by Clearwater.

Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uiJ0SGhtXk

Learn more about Clearwater: https://clearwatersecurity.com/ 

Essential Legal Updates, Now in Audio

AHLA's popular Health Law Daily email newsletter is now a daily podcast, exclusively for AHLA Comprehensive members. Get all your health law news from the major media outlets on this podcast! To subscribe and add this private podcast feed to your podcast app, go to americanhealthlaw.org/dailypodcast.

Stay At the Forefront of Health Legal Education

Learn more about AHLA and the educational resources available to the health law community at https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/. 

Based on AHLA's annual Health Law Connections article, this special ten-part series brings together thought leaders from across the health law field to discuss the top ten issues of 2026. In the tenth episode, Jennifer Smith, Partner, Wright Lindsey & Jennings LLP, speaks with David O’Neal, Partner, Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs LLP, about the current landscape of federal civil rights enforcement in health care. They discuss DOJ’s Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, the government’s use of the False Claims Act to enforce civil rights laws, investigations of large educational institutions, and enforcement related to conscience and religious freedom protections. From AHLA’s Health Care Liability and Litigation Practice Group.

Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRt4rt2wIec

Read AHLA's Top Ten 2026 article: https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/content-library/connections-magazine/article/a879dda5-35f9-46fb-ad45-1b0799343d74/Health-Law-Forecast-2026

Access all episodes in AHLA's Top Ten 2026 podcast series: https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/education-events/speaking-of-health-law-podcasts/top-ten-issues-in-health-law-podcast-series

Learn more about AHLA’s Health Care Liability and Litigation Practice Group: https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/practice-groups/practice-groups/health-care-liability-and-litigation 

Essential Legal Updates, Now in Audio

AHLA's popular Health Law Daily email newsletter is now a daily podcast, exclusively for AHLA Comprehensive members. Get all your health law news from the major media outlets on this podcast! To subscribe and add this private podcast feed to your podcast app, go to americanhealthlaw.org/dailypodcast.

Stay At the Forefront of Health Legal Education

Learn more about AHLA and the educational resources available to the health law community at https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/. 

Kyle Faget, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP, and Devin Cohen, Partner, Proskauer Rose LLP, discuss the current legal and regulatory landscape of clinical trials. They cover issues related to changes to the FDA’s regulatory process, research funding, research misconduct, regulation of wellness products and clinical decision support software, and telehealth and decentralization.

Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wz6HgjJTeQ

Essential Legal Updates, Now in Audio

AHLA's popular Health Law Daily email newsletter is now a daily podcast, exclusively for AHLA Comprehensive members. Get all your health law news from the major media outlets on this podcast! To subscribe and add this private podcast feed to your podcast app, go to americanhealthlaw.org/dailypodcast.

Stay At the Forefront of Health Legal Education

Learn more about AHLA and the educational resources available to the health law community at https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/. 

Based on AHLA's annual Health Law Connections article, this special ten-part series brings together thought leaders from across the health law field to discuss the top ten issues of 2026. In the ninth episode, Kathy Roe, Managing Attorney, Health Law Consultancy, speaks with Judy Waltz, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP, about the current areas of uncertainty surrounding Medicare Advantage (MA). They discuss why some MA Organizations (MAOs) are withdrawing plans, Humana v. Becerra and the potential impact on Risk Adjustment Data Validation audit processes and calculation of overpayment recoveries for MAOs, potential MAO network provider exposure under the False Claims Act, and what potential changes to MA might be on the horizon. From AHLA’s Payers, Plans, and Managed Care and Regulation, Accreditation, and Payment Practice Groups.

Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az0cUVAjnFI

Read AHLA's Top Ten 2026 article: https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/content-library/connections-magazine/article/a879dda5-35f9-46fb-ad45-1b0799343d74/Health-Law-Forecast-2026

Access all episodes in AHLA's Top Ten 2026 podcast series: https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/education-events/speaking-of-health-law-podcasts/top-ten-issues-in-health-law-podcast-series

Learn more about AHLA’s Payers, Plans, and Managed Care Practice Group: https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/practice-groups/practice-groups/payers-plans-and-managed-care 

Learn more about AHLA’s Regulation, Accreditation, and Payment Practice Group: https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/practice-groups/practice-groups/regulation-accreditation-and-payment 

Essential Legal Updates, Now in Audio

AHLA's popular Health Law Daily email newsletter is now a daily podcast, exclusively for AHLA Comprehensive members. Get all your health law news from the major media outlets on this podcast! To subscribe and add this private podcast feed to your podcast app, go to americanhealthlaw.org/dailypodcast.

Stay At the Forefront of Health Legal Education

Learn more about AHLA and the educational resources available to the health law community at https://www.americanhealthlaw.org/.