Health Care Law

Overview

Health care law sits at a uniquely complex intersection of federal and state regulation, institutional policy, contract law, and professional licensing. Understanding it fully requires more than a law degree — it requires genuine fluency in how medicine is actually practiced. Dr. Stephen A. Barnes, MD, JD, FACLM brings both. As a board-certified surgeon with an active Texas medical license and a trial attorney licensed in Texas, New Mexico, and Montana, Dr. Barnes advises health care providers, organizations, and individuals with an authority that purely legal counsel cannot match.

Barnes & Associates has represented Texas companies from startup through maturity, advised physicians and physician groups on business organization and contract matters, and provided counsel on regulatory compliance issues that carry significant professional and financial consequences. Dr. Barnes’ dual background allows the firm to spot problems early — before a regulatory inquiry becomes a formal investigation, and before a contract dispute becomes expensive litigation.

The health care industry is governed by a dense web of state and federal rules, including Texas Medical Practice Act requirements, HIPAA privacy obligations, Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute restrictions, and complex credentialing and peer review processes. Barnes & Associates navigates all of it with precision, and when disputes do arise, Dr. Barnes is prepared to take them to court.

What We Handle

• Physician and provider contract review and negotiation, including employment agreements and non-compete clauses
• Medical practice formation, business organization, and transactions
• Regulatory compliance advice under Texas Medical Practice Act, HIPAA, and federal fraud and abuse statutes
• Medical staff credentialing, peer review, and hospital privilege disputes
• Medical board complaints and professional license defense
• Health care fraud and false claims investigations
• Intellectual property matters, including patents and trademarks related to medical devices and processes
• Contract disputes between providers, facilities, and payers

Why Choose a Physician-Attorney?

Health care law requires advisors who can bridge two worlds fluently. A purely legal perspective misses how medical practices actually operate, how clinical decisions are made, and what regulatory requirements mean at the bedside. A purely clinical perspective misses the legal exposure hiding in standard business arrangements.

Dr. Barnes spent years practicing surgery in Houston before completing Harvard Law School and building a legal practice that spans both litigation and transactional work. He has written patent applications, represented Texas companies as general counsel, and crafted innovative legal strategies grounded in a deep understanding of how health care institutions function from the inside. When you work with Barnes & Associates on a health care law matter, you are not explaining medicine to your lawyer. Your lawyer already knows it.