Julia Zaft

Julia Zaft

Associate
About

Julia Zaft concentrates her practice on corporate and transactional matters in the healthcare space, including structuring cutting-edge arrangements in compliance with applicable law.

With over four years of big law experience, Julia has helped to structure and support innovative deals from start to finish for private equity firms, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and a variety of healthcare providers (including nursing homes and home health agencies, health systems, hospital districts, and physician groups).

Her corporate/M&A experience includes working with clients at all stages of a transaction, and overseeing that process from start (Letter of Intent) to finish (Closing, and any post-Closing transitional matters that arise).

Julia also assists clients with navigating the highly-regulated healthcare industry, whether as healthcare regulatory deal counsel on the buy and sell sides, or in establishing clinically integrated networks and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). She also has experience with healthcare fraud/abuse laws, the corporate practice of medicine, and other compliance matters, including assessing the regulatory implications of a proposed business model, and interfacing with regulatory bodies to address transfer and change of control issues implicated by a proposed transaction. More generally, Julia helps to restructure provider arrangements to minimize compliance risk.

Bar admissionsFloridaMissouriTexas

EXPERIENCE

Representative Matters
  • Assist with representation of national post-acute home healthcare provider, in its acquisition of various home health agencies (HHAs), assisted living communities and skilled nursing facilities across Texas
  • Assist clients to form ACOs and other risk-bearing organizations, through which participants assume financial risk for all or some of the costs of health care delivery from payors. Entails analysis of whether capitation or other risk assumption models trigger insurance laws in CA, TX and other states
  • Healthcare regulatory deal counsel to Chinese insurance company seeking to acquire portfolio of nearly 60 nursing homes across California and Nevada
  • Assisted with representation of large anesthesiology practice, in its US$200 million-plus merger into national anesthesia physician services organization. Merger entailed complex internal reorg., conversion into PLLC, stock buyout and post-closing shared governance model
  • Assisted with representation of internationally-renowned neurosurgery physician group on corporate matters, including comprehensive overhaul of its bylaws and shareholder employment model. This group was recently featured on the TODAY show for its cutting-edge traumatic brain injury rehab programs
  • Assisted with representation of numerous hospitals and health care systems in the creation of Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) joint ventures with physicians
  • Assisted with representation of largest independent, multi-specialty physician group in the Chicago area, in a strategic partnership with a private equity (PE) firm involving nearly US$500 million of PE investment. The deal required several intermediate steps for tax reasons related to the group's organization as an Illinois medical corporation, and to comply with Illinois' corporate practice of medicine and fee-splitting prohibitions. It also allowed the physicians to retain majority ownership, a unique structure in the healthcare sector
  • Assisted with representation of University of Arizona Health Network (UAHN), a major teaching hospital for the University of Arizona, in its merger with Banner Health, with a transaction value of approximately US$1 billion. The deal involved Banner's acquisition of the UAHN 2-hospital system and a partnership with the University of Arizona College of Medicine. The matter was the featured cover story for Modern Healthcare magazine
Languages
  • Spanish
  • Hebrew
Education
  • J.D., Washington University School of Law 2014
    cum laude
  • B.A., Spanish and Psychology, University of Michigan 2010
    with highest distinction

Pro Bono

Julia served as Secretary from 2016-2017 of the Austin State Hospital Volunteer Services Council, the charity arm for the oldest mental health care facility in Texas. She also assisted for over two years with the pro bono representation of a DC -based nonprofit charitable foundation and membership organization. This entailed revamping the organization's policies and procedures manual, as well as preparing amended and restated bylaws governing the central DC entry. On the regulatory front, Julia researched the charitable solicitation requirements in DC and several states, in connection with an audit of the foundation's solicitation policies, and proposed best practices going forward to ensure compliance.

Bylines

  • "CMS Proposed Rule Would Overhaul the Medicare Shared Savings Program," The American Bar Association Health Law Section e-Source Newsletter, Vol. 15, No. 2, October 2018
  • "DOJ Adds Private Equity Firm to False Claims Act Complaint," Healthcare Law Insights Blog, April 9, 2018
  • "Texas Governor Signs Legislation Expanding Balance Billing Mediation and Other Protections," Healthcare Law Insights Blog, May 26, 2017
  • "CMS proposes program integrity enhancements to provider enrollment," Health Law Pulse Blog, February 25, 2016
  • "Neurosurgeon's $11M Guilty Plea Illustrates Potential Dangers of PODs," Health Law Pulse Blog, May 27, 2015
  • "FDA issues three final guidances on biosimilars," Health Law Pulse Blog, May 4, 2015
  • "Hospital executives found guilty of kickback scheme," Health Law Pulse Blog, March 23, 2015
  • "FDA warning: there may be milk in your dark chocolate," Health Law Pulse Blog, February 23, 2015
  • Contributor/Editor, Food Safety Newsletter, Health Law Pulse Blog, January-February 2015
  • "Coalition urges senate to continue supporting Country of Original Labelling (COOL) laws," Health Law Pulse Blog, December 17, 2014
  • "DOJ recovered US$2.3Bn from healthcare FCA cases in FY 2014," Health Law Pulse Blog, December 9, 2014

Prior Experience

Prior to joining the firm, Julia worked in Austin, Texas at a national firm. She also spent nearly three years working for a London-based international law firm in St. Louis, Missouri after law school.

Memberships And Affiliations

  • American Bar Association (ABA), Health Law Section
  • American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA)
  • Secretary, Austin State Hospital Volunteer Services Council, 2016-17

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