Overview
Esther Chang Weese focuses her practice on health care transactions and regulatory matters. Esther represents large health systems, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, cancer treatment facilities and other health care providers on mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures. In addition to her transactional experience, Esther advises clients on health care regulatory issues, including fraud and abuse, self-referral, corporate practice of medicine, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and California medical information privacy laws. She has extensive experience drafting contracts, including professional services agreements, medical director agreements, management agreements and affiliation agreements. Esther has also counseled hospital clients on general counsel-type matters, including informed consent, California-mandated reporting laws and California health facility licensing requirements.
Results
- Represented a national nonprofit health system in its merger with two academic medical centers and long-term affiliation agreement with the associated medical school
- Represented two ambulatory surgery centers sold to a publicly traded company for approximately $54 million
- Represented a nationally recognized developer and operator radiation oncology treatment center in its acquisition of a 55 percent controlling interest in a management company for $7.92 million
- Represented a publicly traded hospital system in its acquisition of diagnostic testing facilities ranging from $1.34 million to $4.1 million
- Represented a publicly traded hospital system in its acquisition of physician practices (between 7 to 23 physicians)
- Counseled numerous hospitals on health information privacy, including under the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act and California’s breach reporting requirements
- Drafted hospital compliance policies and procedures, including to address fraud and abuse, informed consent and health information privacy issues
Recognitions
- Chambers USA 2011 to 2014
- Southern California Super Lawyer, Rising Star (2009 to 2015), Up and Coming 50 Women (2015)
- The Best Lawyers in America 2014 to 2019 and 2021, Health Care Law
- The National Law Journal, Minority 40 Under 40
Community
- American Health Lawyers Association
