Denise Hanna

International Partner

701 8th Street, N.W.
Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20001
Phone: (202) 220-6992
Fax: (202) 220-6945
dhanna@lockelord.com

Denise E. Hanna maintains both a legal and government affairs practice. Ms. Hanna has been involved in legal matters and health care public policy for more than 20 years. Ms. Hanna has closely tracked the enactment of federal health reform and now advises clients on implementation issues, compliance obligations and strategic opportunities under the Affordable Care Act and related state reforms. Among other matters, Ms. Hanna has consulted with and advised a variety of health care organizations on health insurance market reforms, health insurance exchanges, medical loss ratio (MLR), review standards for unreasonable rate increases, accountable care organizations (ACOs), provider alignment strategies and medical homes and the Medicare Advantage star rating bonus program.

Ms. Hanna concentrates her practice on representing health insurance companies and managed care organizations. Still, throughout her legal career, Ms. Hanna has represented health care payors as well as providers, pharmacy benefit management (PBMs) companies, third party administrators, health and wellness companies, trade associations, FQHCs and other health care organizations in a range of corporate and transactional matters and in regulatory and administrative proceedings. Ms. Hanna's legal experience includes lead roles in mergers and acquisitions, corporate and entity formation, managed care contracting, joint ventures, outsourcing and commercial contracting.

Through her active involvement on the national health care scene, Ms. Hanna has a keen awareness of the most important issues that are shaping the health industry. She was Chair of the National Bar Association’s Health Law section during the 2009-2010 year. Currently, as a member of the American Bar Association’s Health Law Section, Ms. Hanna serves as a Vice Chair of the Managed Care & Insurance interest group and as Chair of the Coordinating Committee on Diversity. Ms. Hanna also participates in seminars across the country and was instrumental in organizing the NBA Health Law Section’s Health Care Law Summit in 2009 and 2010. Ms. Hanna is co-editor of the firm’s Health Care Reform Update.

Ms. Hanna also chairs the firm’s Diversity Committee.

Education

J.D., Stanford Law School, 1986
B.A., Behavioral Sciences, with honors, University of Chicago, 1983

Bar Admissions

California, 1987

Representative Experience

Health Care Regulatory and Advocacy

Lead counsel to state-wide managed care organization on health care reform implementation and compliance.
Advisor to health and wellness company on strategic opportunities available under health care reform.
Lead counsel to medical center campus on FEMA appeal.
Lead counsel to PBM in competitive bid protest against County government.
Lead counsel in many change of ownership proceedings involving health plans and health insurers.
Lead counsel to national trade association in the development of a 50-state online database of regulatory requirements applicable to workers’ compensation PBMs.
Lead counsel in multi-state fraud and abuse and fee-splitting analysis for national workers’ compensation claims management company.
Lead counsel in 50-state regulatory analysis of provider claims recovery rules for health care claims recovery company.
Lead counsel in multi-state regulatory analysis of managed provider network requirements for workers’ compensation administrator.
Lead counsel in multi-state analysis of producer appointment requirements for national managed care company.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Lead counsel in successful sales and acquisitions of specialty and full service managed care plans and other health care businesses in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, Texas, Washington and Utah and the Territory of Guam.
Regulatory counsel in sale of Medicare Advantage health plans.
Lead role in $2 billion acquisition of multi-state managed care company.
Lead counsel in acquisition of regional PBM.
Lead counsel in acquisition of e-prescribing technology company.
Lead counsel in the acquisition of company operating senior-focused web portal.
Lead counsel in sale of automobile insurance company.

Corporate Representation, Ventures and Alliances and Business Transactions

Lead counsel in development, structure and financing of pharmacy benefits GPO.
Lead counsel in the tax-advantaged financing of medical facilities being acquired by federally qualified health clinic.
Lead counsel in many successful business process outsourcing transactions for health care companies.
Lead counsel in restructuring health insurer’s relationship with consumer directed health plan (CDHP) program partner.
Lead counsel in development of contractual and relational structure necessary to obtain CMS authorization to offer a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act.
Lead counsel in developing physician practice management organizations in several corporate practice of medicine states.
General counseling for emerging pharmacy benefit administration business.
General counseling for Los Angeles-based federally qualified health clinic.