Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

Robert Wolin, as a member of the firm’s Healthcare Team, maintains an active healthcare and business practice with an emphasis on counseling clients in the healthcare industry. These clients include dialysis providers, long term care providers, assisted living facilities, home health agencies, ancillary service providers, IDTFs, physicians, joint ventures, hospitals, pharmaceutical distributors, pharmacies, medical device distributors and manufacturers and healthcare-related aviation service providers.

Mr. Wolin has advised clients regarding a variety of business and regulatory issues, ranging from corporate structuring to compliance with the complex regulatory scheme facing clients in the healthcare industry. Mr. Wolin has served as lead counsel in many complex and substantial business transactions in several states, including the acquisition of First American Home Health, which involved negotiating one of the largest OIG fraud and abuse settlements in history on behalf of First American Home Health Care of Georgia, Inc., and its owner, Integrated Health Services, Inc., for $215 million and has negotiated several other OIG and Department of Justice healthcare compliance agreements. In addition, he has acted as lead counsel in many healthcare institution acquisition and disposition transactions, including hospitals, nursing homes and HMOs, and has provided regulatory, fraud and abuse advice to numerous healthcare providers. Mr. Wolin has also represented national distributors of healthcare products in connection with product distribution, group purchasing organization agreements, manufacturer representation agreements and business purchase agreements. Mr. Wolin has advised clients regarding the organization and structure of healthcare entities and joint ventures, including surgery centers, imaging centers and renal dialysis facilities. Finally, Mr. Wolin has represented general and professional liability insurers in connection with healthcare organization liability insurance coverage determinations and with respect to fraud in connection with the application for professional liability coverage. He has also served on an interim basis as general counsel for a national laboratory supply company. Mr. Wolin, as a commercially rated pilot with many hours of aerial search and rescue experience, brings unique experience to healthcare-related aviation matters and has assisted clients in the acquisition and disposition of aircraft, obtaining heliport approvals and dealing with FAA regulatory matters.

Mr. Wolin has been involved in extensive projects relating to consumer credit compliance issues for both healthcare clients and lenders under federal and state consumer protection laws, including the defense of several consumer credit class action cases.

Finally, Mr. Wolin has represented manufacturers of heavy equipment such as excavators, mining haul trucks, cranes, heavy duty trucks and similar products and manufacturers of aero derivative gas turbines used in power plants and maritime applications. Mr. Wolin has served as the general counsel for a heavy equipment manufacturer. In this area he has handled issues ranging from dealer relationships, trademark protection, gray marketing/transhipping, product liability claims, national account and major product purchase agreement negotiations, vendor contract negotiations, credit and collection matters, international sales compliance with FCPA and money laundering laws, pricing and customer policies, long-term maintenance arrangement negotiation, operating cost cap agreement negotiation, to business strategy and related matters.

Mr. Wolin has written and spoken extensively on issues affecting clients in the healthcare industry and he served as a member of the Contemporary Long Term Care Magazine Editorial Board from 1988 to 1990. Some of his more recent speaking engagements include:

• “Fundraising Compliance,” United States Air Force Auxiliary National Legal Officers College (June 2007)
• “Human Relations: Everyday Issues,” American Health Lawyers Association’s Annual Long Term Care Conference (February 2007)
• “Federal and State Legislative Healthcare Industry Update,” Houston Texas Society of CPAs’ Healthcare Committee and Gulf Coast MGMA Health Care Symposium (October 2006)

Mr. Wolin is a member of the Texas and American Bar Associations and the American Health Lawyers Association.

Areas of Practice

• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Commercial Litigation
• Litigation: Motor Vehicle & Equipment Franchise Practice
• Automotive
• Healthcare
• Distribution and Franchise

Bar Admissions

• Texas, 1984

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Houston Bar Association (Member)
• American Bar Association (Member, Negotiated Acquisitions Committee)
• State Bar of Texas (Member)
• Texas Health Care Association (Member, Legal Committee)

Classes and Seminars

• Fundraising Compliance, United States Air Force Auxiliary National Legal Officers College
• Human Relations: Everyday Issues, American Health Lawyers Association’s Annual Long Term Care Conference
• Federal and State Legislative Healthcare Industry Update, Houston Texas Society of CPAs’ Healthcare Committee and Gulf Coast MGMA Health Care Symposium

Education

• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey School of Law - Camden, Camden, New Jersey, 1984
  J.D.
  Honors: With Honors
  Honors: National Moot Court Team
• Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
• The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 1981
  M.H.A.
• University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 1979
  B.S.
• The Ohio State University, 1981
  M.B.A.

Published Works

• Board Contemporary Long Term Care Magazine Editorial Advisor, 1988-1989
• Air Ambulances: How Hospitals Can Minimize Liability Risk, Health Law Reporter, November 13, 2008
• Tax-Exempt Hospitals Under the Microscope: Charity Care, Compliance Today, September 16, 2008
• The Feds Pick Up a New Cudgel, National Law Journal, August 11, 2008
• Industry Making Big Strides Toward Preventing Medical Errors, Houston Business Journal, April 11, 2008
• Patient Safety Organizations: Not Yet Safe For Providers, BNA's Health Law Reporter, March 20, 2008
• Hospital Employment of Physicians is Coming Back, Health Law 360, March 18, 2008
• Texas Healthcare Policy Group Report on the 80th Texas Legislature, July 20, 2007

Address

1000 Louisiana
Suite 2000
Houston, TX 77002-5009

Phones

(713) 646-1327

Faxes

(713) 751-1717

Emails

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Websites

http://www.bakerlaw.com