Associate General Counsel

Summary:
The Associate General Counsel is responsible for assisting the General Counsel in managing the many and varied legal affairs of Pyramid Healthcare, Inc. ("Pyramid"), and its subsidiaries. The Associate General Counsel and General Counsel collectively address the full range of legal issues arising at Pyramid, including regulatory and reimbursement issues, fraud and abuse issues, contracting, risk management, client relations, medical staff issues, corporate transactions and governance, real estate, intellectual property, and labor and employment issues.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Negotiates, drafts, and reviews contracts and other legal documents, including merger, acquisition, and other corporate transaction documents, real estate leases, property and asset acquisitions, purchasing, joint ventures, managed care, physician services, licenses and other intellectual property agreements, academic affiliations, and financing and bond documentation
• Performs legal and factual research necessary to draft and analyze various contracts, policies, and other documents and to advise internal clients
• Serves as a resource to General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Executive Leadership Team, Board of Directors, and others
• Works cooperatively with outside attorneys and consultants representing Pyramid and its affiliated entities
• Provides counsel on health care laws including those on privacy, Medicare, Medicaid and other government programs, fraud and abuse, and physician self-referral and anti-kickback laws
• Provides guidance on revenue cycle matters, including collection and third-party liability issues
• Provides guidance on billing, coding, and other reimbursement matters for compliance with government and commercial health plan requirements
• In collaboration with compliance staff, develops compliance policies and procedures, and works closely with compliance to investigate and resolve compliance concerns
• Responds to client and external institutional issues as assigned
• Provides counsel on medical staff matters, staff corrective action, peer review, and disciplinary actions of medical staff and house staff
• Provides counsel for legal aspects of client care including informed consent, medical records/privacy issues, and clients' rights issues
• Assists Risk Manager in management of claims
• Assists in promoting efficiency of the legal department by preparing templates, forms, outlines, instructional materials, and other tools and resources
• Serves on boards, committees, and work groups (internal and external clients) as assigned
• Performs other duties as assigned
• Must exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality with regard to all company information
• Completion of all required trainings as designated by the company and accreditation/licensing entities
• Other duties as assigned

Supervisory Responsibilities:
None

Required Qualifications:

Education, Licensure, & Experience

• Juris Doctorate or equivalent law degree
• Minimum of at least five (5) years of experience advising on a broad range of legal matters

Preferred

• Experience advising behavioral health and other health care providers on a broad range of health law
• Corporate transactional experience
• Experience with Medicare/Medicaid billing issues and appeals
• Admission (or eligibility for admission) to the Pennsylvania Bar

Job Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Extensive knowledge of laws and accreditation standards governing the delivery of behavioral healthcare by providers and suppliers
• Knowledge of legal issues pertaining to corporate governance, acquisitions and other transactions, real estate, tax, and intellectual property
• Experience in fraud and abuse, physician self-referral, anti-kickback, privacy, billing and reimbursement, and client care issues
• Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision
• Effective human relations abilities
• Ability to effect collaborative alliances and promote teamwork
• Ability to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction both internally and externally
• Effective persuasion and negotiation skills
• Effective interpersonal skills including the ability to work closely with healthcare providers, and all levels of management, administration, and leadership
• Effective leadership skills which demonstrate the ability to participate in innovation and change, strategic thinking, and problem solving
• Superior communication skills in both written and verbal presentation, including all aspects of legal writing technique and procedure, and the ability to convey complex legal concepts to non-lawyers
• Ability to function effectively and complete projects in a timely manner in a fast-paced and changing environment with multiple priorities and objectives
• Ability to handle a crisis and or potential risk situation and react appropriately
• A working knowledge of federal and state standards as well as regulating body and compliance standards

Physical Demands:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to talk or hear. The employee is regularly required to sit, stand, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is seldom required walk, stoop, twist, kneel, or crouch. The employee must seldom lift and/ or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment:
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderately quiet & indoors. This position will require local travel and at times regional. This position will be scheduled based on operational need & will be required to provide own transportation.