Maria B. Abrahamsen, Esquire

Dykema Gossett PLLC
Bloomfield Hills, MI
(248) 203-0818
mabrahamsen@dykema.com

Ms. Abrahamsen's practice is devoted to representation of healthcare facilities and practitioners in corporate and regulatory matters, with emphasis on medical staff matters, reimbursement, and regulation of hospital-physician financial relationships.

Experience:

• Medical staff - hospital relations. Draft and review medical staff bylaws and policies. Experience in streamlining medical staff appeal procedures, disruptive and impaired practitioner policies, and compliance with JCAHO and AOA medical staff standards. Counsel medical executive committees regarding difficult credentialing cases and regarding practical steps to reduce antitrust risk and maximize peer review confidentiality.
• Hospital-physician joint ventures. Structure joint ownership of ambulatory surgery centers and diagnostic services, addressing anti-kickback, Stark, licensure, certification, and securities law issues.
• Reimbursement issues. Extensive counseling of clients regarding third party reimbursement. Frequent contacts with Medicare intermediary, carrier, CMS regional office and central offices, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Medicaid programs regarding reimbursement policy issues. Appealing Medicare, Medicaid and non-government reimbursement decisions and representing providers in payor audits and disputes.
• Hospital-physician contracts. Counseling regarding application of tax, Stark and anti-kickback laws to physician recruitment contracts. Draft hospital-based physician contracts, including addressing clinical service objectives, exclusivity, and reimbursement issues.
• Compliance. Counseling regarding compliance issues, such as identification and application of reimbursement rules and responding to overpayments.
• Stark and other physician referral laws. Structure professional practices and transactions to achieve client business objectives while complying with applicable legal restrictions on referral. Ms. Abrahamsen chaired the Michigan State Bar Stark Task Force, which drafted and submitted comments to the federal government regarding the 2001 and 2004 Stark Regulations.
• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Counsel clients on compliance with JCAHO accreditation standards. Represent clients in appeals of adverse accreditation decisions.
• Professional practices. Structure office-sharing arrangements among practitioners, practice management contracts, and traditional group practice structures such as PCs and PLLCs. Address employment issues, contracts and patient forms and policies.
• Review and negotiate managed care contracts on behalf of providers. Ms. Abrahamsen edited the 1998 and 2001 editions of the NACDS Contracting Manual – Prescription Drug Programs, a managed care contracting manual published by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

Awards:

• Named 2006 and 2007 Michigan Super Lawyer by Law & Politics
• The Best Lawyers in America, Health Care, selected 2001-2007

Professional Associations:

• American Health Lawyers Association, member
• Health Care Financial Management Association, Eastern Michigan (Director, Secretary 2008-2009)
• State Bar of Michigan, Health Law Section Council (member 1994 - 2000, chair 1998 - 1999)

Publications:

• 2005 Improving Quality in EMS, "EMS Quality Improvement and The Law," (2nd ed., National Association of EMS Physicians)
• 2005 The Biggest Legal Mistakes Physicians Make and How to Avoid Them," The Biggest Legal Mistakes Physicians Make in Managed Care Contracting," (SEAK, Inc.)
• NACDS Managed Care Contracting Manual — Prescription Drug Programs," (National Association of Chain Drug Stores, editor of 1998 and 2001 eds.)

Education:

• University of Michigan, B.A.
• University of Michigan, J.D.
  magna cum laude
  Order of the Coif

Admitted to Practice:

Michigan 1979