Health Care

Overview

Since our inception, it’s been Chamblee Ryan’s practice to protect yours. Chamblee Ryan has long been recognized as a top-tier medical malpractice defense firm in Texas. For decades, our attorneys have defended physicians, hospitals, and providers in medical malpractice lawsuits. Using our established and effective defense abilities with our proven litigation experience, our attorneys provide our impressive list of medical practitioners with unrivaled representation.

Our practice has expanded to meet our clients’ needs. Our numerous successes in malpractice litigation led our firm to expand its practice deeper into health care to provide superior representation in corporate, liability, and regulatory matters for our clients. Chamblee Ryan assists our clients in all facets of health care including health care liability claims, medical and dental board hearings, hospital peer reviews, institutional and employee issues, insurance billing and contract disputes, and professional association start-ups and LLCs.

Let us handle the law. Our attorneys represent clients in the negotiation and preparation of a variety of contractual and transactional arrangements among varying types of health care providers. We advise clients on general business and corporate matters. This may involve initial needs such assisting clients in choosing the appropriate type of entity by which they choose to offer their health care services such as a professional association or LLC. Chamblee Ryan also assists clients with subsequent needs such as restructuring, the creation of subsidiaries, and potential mergers or acquisitions.

Further, Chamblee Ryan represents health care providers on issues related to Anti-Kickback, Stark, and other fraud issues that involve physicians or hospitals. Our attorneys assist clients in establishing and implementing corporate compliance programs and advise on Medicare and Medicaid payment issues. With regard to state law matters, we routinely advise clients regarding the relevant laws in the State of Texas.

For health care providers, Chamblee Ryan counsels clients on all aspects of compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA. We provide counseling on training, policy, and procedure. Additionally, we can counsel providers on an existing compliance plan, or can assist in the formation of a new compliance plan. We frequently share our knowledge and expertise with our clients through publications and presentations outlining updates and developments throughout the industry.

Chamblee Ryan will take care of the complications. Our clients have invested years developing their skills to excel in the medical field. Through their talents, our clients have built solid reputations as caring and dedicated professionals. Still, from time-to-time, complications will occur. In today’s litigious environment, that can mean serious issues for our clients, their earnings, and their career.

Chamblee Ryan has the medical insight, the courtroom experience, and the tenacity to defend our clients’ good name and financial health. In the courtroom, we have handled countless medical malpractice lawsuits representing doctors, administrators, clinics, and hospitals. We also assist clients in a wide array of litigation-based issues their business may face including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Hospital Peer Review & Fair Hearing Administrative Hearings
  • Medical Malpractice & Torts Defense
  • Medical Products Liability
  • Pharmaceutical Product Litigation
  • Texas Medical Board Complaint & Investigation Defense

Representative Experience

  • Obtained a defense verdict in a two-week jury trial wherein Plaintiff contended Defendant was negligent in failing to diagnose appendicitis in a 15-year old boy with progressive Duchene muscular dystrophy.
  • Obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a general surgeon for alleged medical malpractice wherein Plaintiff claimed his aorta was lacerated during the placement of a trocar.
  • In a medical malpractice lawsuit wherein Plaintiff claims that excessive traction was used during their delivery resulting in their child’s shoulder dystocia, obtained a defense verdict on behalf of an ob-gyn physician.
  • Obtained a defense verdict in a one-and-a-half-week jury trial on behalf of a physician sued by a family following the death of a family member wherein Plaintiffs claimed the death was the result of a mixed-drug overdose of OxyContin and Darvocet.
  • Secured a defense verdict on behalf of an orthopedic surgeon in a case involving post-operation MRSA infection of the plaintiff’s hand.
  • Obtained a defense verdict on behalf an orthopedic surgeon against a 15-year-old patient with claims that the physician failed to diagnose and treat an infected hematoma.  The physician had examined the patient on two separate occasions, and the patient needed treatment and surgery soon after, at another facility.  The jury found for the defense.
  • On appeal, successfully defended the trial court’s verdict in a wrongful death action which alleged that health care providers wrongfully withheld appropriate life-sustaining measures.
  • On appeal, successfully overturned the trial court’s exclusion of testimony of an expert witness regarding the standard of care in a medical negligence claim, eventually leading to a $6 million dollar damages award for our clients.
  • On appeal, obtained confirmation that a summary judgment at the trial level was appropriate based on a lapsed statute of limitations barring a medical negligence claim.
  • Arbitration involving Chapter 74 medical malpractice and wrongful death claims against an anesthesiologist/pain physician, as well as ostensible agency and DTPA claims against a healthcare marketing company. Claimant’s demand of over $1 million – Unanimous ruling in favor of Respondents.
  • Obtained a unanimous defense verdict on behalf of a Physical Medicine and Rehab doctor. Over seven  days of trial in the 199th District Court of Texas, Jurors heard of the care and treatment before and after unexpected complications following a routine MRI procedure. Plaintiffs alleged negligence of multiple physicians and were seeking past and future medical expenses, loss of consortium, past and future lost wages, mental anguish damages, and sought a recovery in excess of $2 million.
  • Obtained a unanimous ruling in favor of Respondents in highly complex, lengthy arbitration matter; defeating Plaintiffs’ demand for $1,276.307.00.  The matter involved Chapter 74 medical malpractice and wrongful death claims against an anesthesiologist/pain physician, as well as ostensible agency and DTPA claims against a healthcare marketing company (that provided lead referrals to affiliated physicians).  Claimants argued that the Decedent contracted Group B strep meningitis as a result of the alleged negligence of the physician.  Claimants entered alternative claims that the physician was an ostensible agent of the marketing company, further alleging deceptive trade practices and additional claims of negligence stemming from the referral.
  • Defend medical doctor in bowel perforation case. Plaintiff’s counsel asked jury to award over $21 million dollars in damages.  After one hour of deliberation, jury provides unanimous defense verdict.

Representative Clients

Companies and individuals that provide health care in all its forms. Also includes companies whose products or services are designed specifically for the health care system. We’ve represented countless individuals, physician groups, and hospitals in the health care industry.  We’ve represented the Good Shepherd Health System and Tenet Healthcare Corporation, and numerous insurers including Advocate, MD Insurance of the Southwest, Inc., API-Pro Assurance, Western Litigation, Inc., Markel Insurance Company, Zurich North America, and Texas Medical Liability Trust.