Private Equity

Last fall, private equity and hedge fund investors were given a reprieve from the prospect of increased oversight of healthcare transactions when California Governor Gavin Newsom unexpectedly vetoed Assembly Bill 3129 (AB 3129). That bill would have required review and approval by the California Attorney General of certain healthcare transactions involving private equity groups and hedge funds and imposed limitations on contractual relationships between investors and healthcare providers. On February 12, 2025, Senator Christopher Cabaldon (D-Sacramento) introduced Senate Bill 351 (SB 351), which revives aspects of AB 3129 relating to relationships between private equity groups and hedge funds and physician and dental practices, reinforcing California’s existing corporate practice of medicine and corporate practice of dentistry bars.

On August 31, the last day of its 2024 Legislative Session, the California Legislature approved Assembly Bill 3129 (Wood), which provides for notification to and review by the Attorney General of health care transactions involving private equity groups and hedge funds. This bill has been subject to intense lobbying, and its scope changed significantly in the month leading up to its passage. Governor Newsom is expected to sign the legislation in September. It is worth a comprehensive look at the final version of the bill, which will have a significant impact on future private equity transactions in California.

Exiting a business, whether you are a serial entrepreneur looking to move on to the next project or a healthcare provider like a physician or therapist who has nurtured your practice for decades, can be difficult. After all, corporate transactions are complex affairs that often hang on small details. That’s to say nothing of the emotions that business owners sometimes experience when stepping away from an enterprise into which they have poured their sweat and passion.

For those in the healthcare industry, the complexities only get tougher to tackle. As one of the most heavily regulated industries, healthcare embodies a level of regulatory risk—from merely annoying to existential—that most businesses don’t have to contemplate, making succession and exit plans hard to develop and harder still to execute.

On February 27, 2023, a jury in Minnesota federal court rendered a verdict in favor of the United States and against a surgical product distributor following a False Claims Act jury trial that lasted six weeks.[1] The jury identified $43 million in Medicare payments flowing from 64,575 kickback-procured claims.

Team of healthcare workers

Widespread COVID-19 vaccination is considered critical for many employers to return employees to work safely and resume normal business operations in the future. As such, many employers have been asking whether they can require, incentivize or encourage employees to get vaccinated, and what liabilities they may face if they choose any of these options.

Virtual Series

Please join Husch Blackwell as we go virtual with our Health Law Conference. The series will include a range of important topics relevant to the healthcare industry and will be moderated by Curt Chase, leader of the firm’s Healthcare, Life Sciences and Education team; Hal Katz, American Bar Association, Health Law Section, Chair; and Tom Shorter, American Health Law Association, President-Elect Designate. The webinar programs will be offered every Thursday through November 19.

Deal activity among hospitals, physicians and health plans will continue at a swift pace into 2021. In our fifth session, hear from industry thought leaders on how the pandemic is impacting private equity and strategic investments in the healthcare space.

Virtual Series

Please join Husch Blackwell as we go virtual with our Health Law Conference. The series will include a range of important topics relevant to the healthcare industry. The webinar programs will be offered every Thursday from October 1 through November 19.

Our first session will include a panel discussion on a potential COVID-19 vaccine. The

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In this short recording, Healthcare attorneys Wakaba Tessier and Erica Ash discuss a recent Department of Justice (DOJ) settlement involving a specialty pharmacy and its private equity owner. This case is significant because – not only did the DOJ name the compounding pharmacy and its two executives – but it also named the private equity firm that owned

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Part V: Material Deal Terms to Negotiate in Private Equity Transactions

This is the fifth article in our series on “Closing a Private Equity Transaction.” In Part I, the benefits of preparing for a transaction were explained, along with how best to prepare. In Part II, the letter of intent was discussed, and key terms were identified. In Part III, we walked through what to expect during the due diligence process. In Part IV, we outlined the various healthcare regulatory issues that arise in private equity transactions. Here, we highlight some of the more material terms typically negotiated in the definitive transaction documents.

The primary definitive document will be the purchase agreement (which will either be an asset purchase agreement or a stock purchase agreement, depending on the structure of the transaction). The first step will be to confirm the agreement contains the various terms negotiated in the letter of intent. (See Part II for a discussion of the terms that should be negotiated.) While the LOI will cover the major deal terms, the purchase agreement will expand upon those terms in more detail, and include other provisions necessary to effectuate the transaction.

Part IV: Healthcare Regulatory Issues that Arise in Private Equity Transactions

This is the fourth article in our series on “Closing a Private Equity Transaction.” In Part I, the benefits of preparing for a transaction were explained, along with how best to prepare. In Part II, the letter of intent was discussed, and key terms were identified and explained. In Part III, we walked through what to expect during the due diligence process. Here, we identify the various healthcare regulatory issues that arise in private equity transactions.

The Healthcare industry is heavily regulated at both the federal and state levels, and regulatory issues will be the greatest area of concern for a buyer. The buyer will review the information disclosed through the due diligence process to confirm both pre- and post-closing regulatory compliance.

No business is perfect, and it’s not uncommon for areas of past non-compliance to be uncovered. A buyer needs to understand what they will be potentially inheriting in terms of risk. This gives the parties a chance to correct deficiencies, which may include a self-disclosure or refund, and make improvements going forward.