Thompson Coe Health Care attorneys offer consummate and broad experience in virtually every aspect of health care litigation matters. This includes serving as outside general counsel for many health care providers and their practices. We have tried cases for many specialties and practices, with claims ranging from health care liability claims to employment matters, from business disputes to products liability. With this comprehensive approach, we advise health care clients in such matters as policies and procedures, disputes with managed care companies or other payors, employment matters, risk management, and other contractual matters.

Defending health care liability claims is one of the more specialized areas of the law. Particularly after tort reform in Texas, plaintiffs’ lawyers who handle these cases tend to be very experienced lawyers, and require equally experienced lawyers on the defense side to effectively defend the case. Our health care trial attorneys offer this type of experience.

We regularly defend health care providers and health care institutions against claims alleging professional negligence, gross negligence, and patient abuse. We have represented numerous different types of health care providers, including:

Physicians
Hospitals
Skilled nursing facilities
Assisted living facilities
Intermediate care facilities
Dentists
Chiropractors
Podiatrists
Physician’s Assistants
Registered and Licensed Vocational Nurses
Nurse Practitioners
Psychologists
Licensed Professional Counselors
Marriage and Family Therapists
Professional associations of physicians
Home and community support service agencies
Home health care providers and agencies

Our attorneys have an extensive understanding of the laws governing health care liability claims in the State of Texas. Whether a health care liability claim will ultimately be dismissed, settle or tried, you want a lawyer who is experienced and diligent enough to know that cases are best positioned each step of the way by preparing them as if they will be tried. In this way, our attorneys are proactively staying ahead of the plaintiff’s attorney in defending the case and not merely reacting to what the other side does.

In addition, Thompson Coe attorneys have represented the long-term care industry for many years. We have handled claims against skilled nursing facilities alleging abuse and neglect, malnutrition, dehydration, pressure sores, medication errors, falls and restraint issues, elopement, and understaffing, among other claims.

The emotional allegations involved range from failure to properly diagnose and treat serious medical conditions to abuse of the elderly in long-term care facilities. Our defense of medical professionals is aggressive and informed, and we have the knowledge and resources to counter plaintiffs’ often emotional arguments with the factual requirements of the law, medicine and science.

We understand that being sued for professional negligence is one of the most stressful events a health care professional will experience, and we help guide our clients through that experience. We also know that under many policies of professional liability insurance currently being written in Texas, every dollar spent on liability defense erodes the indemnity benefit under the policy, so we proudly offer competent and cost-effective professional liability representation for our healthcare clients.

Thompson Coe Health Care attorneys are highly skilled litigators who have litigated and won hundreds of cases in state and federal court involving health care litigation.

Our health care litigators have substantial experience in a wide and varied array of civil and criminal litigation matters on behalf of health care clients, including employment, premises liability, the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, breach of contract, fraud, abuse allegations, end-of-life issues, RICO, intellectual property disputes, unfair competition, qui tam actions, and general contractor suits.

In addition, our attorneys defend health care providers against administrative sanctions such as exclusion from managed care contracts, continued participation in federal health care programs, and suspension of Medicare payments.

Our practice includes representing clients in cases involving, among others:

Seeking injunctive relief against DHHS and CMS for DMEPOS National Competitive Bidding Program
Defending durable medical equipment providers before Administrative Law Judges
Appealing prepayment, post-payment, and overpayment audits
Contract disputes involving health care providers
Pursuing or defending prompt pay statute claims
Litigating covenants not to compete or non-solicitation agreements

We represent Durable Medical Equipment (DME) manufacturers, DME retailers, Home Health Agencies (HHAs), and Pharmacy Infusion providers in products liability cases throughout the country. Among our clients are a major pharmaceutical company involved in statewide litigation over its fen/phen product, and a maker of vitamin supplements that has faced a decade-long class action involving more than 300 claimants in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

In defending these types of cases, our lawyers regularly retain and work with medical experts from various fields, including neurologists, pulmonologists, pathologists, radiologists, orthopedic surgeons, internist, sleep medicine physicians, obstetricians/gynecologists, critical care specialists, epidemiologists, and other treating physicians and medical care providers. In addition to knowledge of the medical issues involved, we bring to each of our cases a combination of trial and negotiating skills, case management sophistication, solid technical knowledge and innovative medical defense strategies.

Thompson Coe labor and employment lawyers regularly advise health care industry clients, including medical associations, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, insurance carriers, and physicians, concerning the full spectrum of labor and employment issues.

Our lawyers have significant experience in drafting employment agreements, covenants not to compete, and severance agreements, and assisting employers in reducing workforce, mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. Additionally, we are well-versed in developing employment policies and procedures, compensation plans, and employee benefit packages.

We regularly represent employers in both individual and class action discrimination litigation in federal trial and appellate courts, state courts, and before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Our attorneys provide advice on a wide range of issues affecting seniors, persons with disabilities, and their families. In addition, we have experience in nursing home defense work, risk management for health care facilities, home health care issues and long term care financing.

Our attorneys have defended against claims such as negligent admission or failure to discharge, overall negligent care claims, malnutrition, dehydration, and feeding tube care, resident injury claims resulting from resident-on-resident or staff-on-resident abuse, resident falls and wrongful death, as well as a variety of other claims including negligent hiring and supervision.

We can also help individuals achieve Medicaid eligibility by preparing and/or modifying estate plans, including the instruments necessary to preserve Medicaid eligibility.

Our practice includes representing clients in the following matters, among others:

Traditional estate planning, including preparation of Wills, Trusts and related tax advice;
Planning for incapacity, including preparation of Durable Powers of Attorney, Medical Care Powers of Attorney, Revocable Living Trusts and Advance Directives or “Living Wills”;
Housing matters, including reverse equity mortgages, landlord/tenant issues and tax advice concerning sale of a principal residence;
Medicaid eligibility (including trust planning);
Medicare Claims and Appeals;
Social Security and Disability Claims and Appeals;
Supplemental and Long-Term Health Insurance Issues;
Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”);
Age Discrimination in Employment Act (“ADEA”); and
Retirement Planning, including tax advice and Social Security benefits

Our attorneys are experienced in representing the interests of the health care industry trade associations and health care clients on matters pending before Congress, the Texas Legislature, and various state and federal regulatory agencies.

Our practice includes representing clients in cases involving, among others:

Providing comments to government agencies concerning proposed federal and state regulations
Drafting proposed legislation and regulations
Meeting with representatives of various governmental agencies and legislative bodies
Advising clients on impact of legislation and regulation
Developing white papers
Analyzing state legislation and regulations
Meeting with state and national legislators