American Bar Association Health Law Section

Huge congratulations to Gunnar Bedford, CPA on being named one of this year’s Emerging Young Lawyers in Healthcare by the American Bar Association! We are so proud of this well-deserved recognition and thrilled to see Gunnar’s talent, dedication, and hard work being celebrated on a national level. His commitment to excellence continues to inspire all of us! Way to go, Gunnar!

We can't believe it's already been one week since #EMI2025. We had so much fun in Long Beach. This conference was one for the books! Thank you to our cochairs Hayley Penan and Stefan Chacon and our planning committee Dani Borel, Mysty Blagg, Gregory Etzel, Joe Geraci, Shana Logue, Stephanie Dorvil and Tammy Ward Woffenden for putting together a truly excellent program. We can't wait to see you all in Nashville next year!

A Biden-Harris Administration minimum staffing mandate for nursing homes faces legal challenges from various long-term care facilities, states, and state associations in the federal courts of Iowa and Texas. In this article from the latest issue of ABA Health Lawyer, Sydney C. Scott and Harvey Tettlebaum, of the Health Law Section's Post-Acute Care Continuum Interest Group, break down changes adopted from the proposed rule to the final rule, discusses the primary arguments in the Iowa and Texas cases, and considers the future of the final rule under the Trump Administration. https://lnkd.in/giJSMbsB

I think this might have been my favorite EMI yet! It kicked off with an adventure—navigating through the Long Beach Grand Prix setup with Kathy Poppitt just to get to the hotel! With the main entrance blocked off, we hauled our 50-pound suitcases and backpacks up two flights of stairs, across a bridge, and back down—all in the middle of a Santa Ana windstorm. But we made it! From start to finish, this year’s American Bar Association Health Law Section Emerging Issues in Health Law Conference delivered. The content was timely and thought-provoking, with every speaker offering valuable insights on the health law landscape and the impact of ongoing regulatory shifts under the current administration. The networking and social events were just as impactful—and fun! Festivities kicked off early when Adrienne Dresevic reached out and encouraged me to bring my Kemosabe hat to the Bash (We both bought them in Park City earlier this year at The Health Law Roundtable). What a blast! Swan paddle boats, incredible food, a beautiful indoor/outdoor venue, and a DJ featuring all my favorite ’80s and ’90s hits—topped off by Richard Romero, CVA, ABV, FHFMA, PAHM, spinning me around the dance floor until I was dizzy! The IPA task force was as important as ever featuring local IPA concoctions, a strange car with BRG license plates and so many laughs. I was so enthralled in conversation, I almost lost my phone AGAIN and fortunately, Lindsay Knutson rescued said cherries phone. I enjoyed catching up and laughing with Kenya Woodruff. We were having so much fun; we kept her late from her leadership dinner. I also had the pleasure of introducing two of my fantastic BRG colleagues, Keziah Cook and Rich Rieger, to EMI for the first time. They fully embraced the experience—joining every session and event I could drag them to—and I loved getting to know more about their practices. As always, it was wonderful to be alongside my dear friend and colleague Lindsay Knutson, who stepped up to take on a leadership role this year—I’m so excited for what’s ahead for her! A huge thank you to Matthew Fisher for the opportunity to serve in a leadership role and on the planning committee again this year. It was a joy to work under the guidance of co-chairs Hayley Penan and Stefan Chacon, and of course, the amazing Danielle Daly, who makes it all look easy. EMI 2025 is a wrap—and I’m already counting down to next year in Nashville!

Sad you missed all the fun at #EMI2025? No problem! Come hang out at one of our fall conferences. Registration is open at ambar.org/hlsevents!

Honored to have delivered the Annual State of the American Bar Association Health Law Section to kick off the final educational day of #EMI2025. The Section is doing a ton of great work within the #healthlaw field to support education, awareness, and so much more. I have said this many times before as well, but the Section is about #community, #friendship, and personal and professional growth. That is fostered and enhanced through the involvement of so many great leaders as well as the extreme dedication of all of our staff. The chance to see friends and meet first time attendees underscores the impact of those connections. It is also important to emphasize that the community, collaboration, and collegiality within the Section are essential with all of the chaos and upheaval occurring within the #government, the #law, and so many others of life at the moment. The trust and support that we create within the Section will be key to helping support each other and all of those across #healthcare to weather the times and enable the necessary focus of improving health. From that perspective, it is important to remember that on a day to day basis as the sun rises, we must work to find opportunities and make good on the promise that can come withe very new day.

Thrilled to be in Long Beach this week for the American Bar Association Health Law Section Emerging Issues in Health Law Conference with my BRG colleagues Lindsay Knutson, Rich Rieger, and Keziah Cook! A big highlight for me yesterday was the panel focusing on emerging legal risks in managed care led by Kenneth (Kenny) White, Lindsay Knutson and Tricia Asaro. Their insights into the latest litigation, compliance, regulatory, and IT/privacy developments in this space were thorough and timely which is challenging at a minimum in the current highly dynamic regulatory environment. I also enjoyed hearing my friends David Ellenbogen and Denise Glass explore the collaborative models payors and providers are implementing—and the legal and regulatory complexities they face. Their insights were similarly current and comprehensive reflecting David's views as General Counsel of BCBS of MI and Denise, who shared the healthcare provider perspective. Looking forward to more great conversations and connections throughout the week! #ABAHealthLaw #EMI2025 #HealthLaw #ManagedCare #HealthcareCompliance #BRG

Thank you to all of our sponsors for making #EMI2025 possible!

Day one of #EMI2025 was a success! There’s so much more to come

It was a pleasure to kick off the 1st full day of #EMI with our presentation on “Physician Compensation Arrangements: When to Take Them Outside”