Yvonne K. Puig
Chief Integration Partner, Life Sciences and Healthcare, United States
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
Related services and key industries
Biography
Yvonne Puig has a substantial commercial litigation practice in both state and federal courts. She represents large health systems, medical schools, institutional healthcare providers, for profit educational companies, and managed care organizations across the US.
A partner in Norton Rose Fulbright's Austin office, Yvonne's practice involves commercial and healthcare litigation, antitrust, regulatory and compliance advice, crisis and risk management, administrative law, and products liability.
She advises governing boards on a variety of compliance topics and has extensive experience in a variety of health industry regulatory and compliance matters, including Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), credentialing, peer review, due process hearings, government regulatory investigations, The Joint Commission accreditation and compliance. Yvonne has represented defendants in Qui Tam/False Claims Act actions and related investigations. Yvonne has extensive experience in the representation of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), including IRB liability regarding provider arrangements and clinical trials.
Yvonne is a frequent author and speaker on legal issues regarding social media, board governance, health care and life sciences.
Professional experience
Collapse allJD, The University of Texas School of Law, 1978
BA, High Honors, Psychology, The University of Texas, 1975
Yvonne was admitted to practice law in Texas in 1978; the U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas in 1980; and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit in 1985, and numerous federal courts.
- Texas State Bar
Yvonne has served as lead counsel on the following recent matters:
Healthcare Products & Services:
- National optical retailer and a global financial services provider on an acquisition by a private-equity firm, including expansion and regulatory issues.
- Large healthcare system regarding regulatory disclosures and representation regarding claims nationwide.
- One of the top 100 hospitals for its cardiovascular services, general acute and specialty services in regulatory advice on patient consent issues.
- Academic medical center and health systems in the creation and implementation of compliance programs in the areas of Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), and The Joint Commission and Medicare Secondary Payor Act.
- Client in advice related to, and representation as needed, involving the EMTALA obligations on federal and state level.
Hospital and Healthcare Facilities:
- Health System MDL involving alleged defective products used by health system.
- Health system in managed care commercial litigation involving interpretation of federal reimbursement rates, which claims and counterclaims involved multiple jurisdictions. Amounts in controversy exceeded $300 million dollars.
- Managed care network in claims involved negligent credentialing of healthcare provider for disability of multiples.
- Hospital system in a case alleging inappropriate use of stents, resulting in death.
- International health system in a due process matter involving a relocation agreement. The case involved unique procedural challenges, an open class action against the physician and a fraud investigation by the Attorney General for the State of New Mexico.
- Healthcare services company whose subsidiaries and affiliates own and operate acute care hospitals and related ancillary healthcare businesses in regulatory advice regarding panel selection and retention.
- National hospital system in defense of alleged violations of federal and state antitrust laws, tortious interference and defamation.
- National hospital system in state and federal investigations arising out of alleged medication errors.
- Non-profit healthcare company involved in a compliance/due process matter involving quality of care issues and medical necessity.
- Hospital system involved in CDC and FDA investigations of multiple deaths arising out of contaminated product and regulatory disclosures related to the matter.
Educational Institutions:
- Company that operates career training centers in regulatory advice regarding license revocation actions and compliance programs.
- Group of institutions that offer career oriented certificate and degree programs in enforcement action.
- Client in regulatory and crisis management guidance
- Chambers USA, Texas: Healthcare, Chambers and Partners, 2005 – 2024
- Legal 500 US, recommended lawyer, Industry focus - Healthcare: Service Providers, The Legal 500, 2014 – 2019; 2021
- Legal 500 US, recommended lawyer, Industry focus - Healthcare: Life Sciences, The Legal 500, 2016, 2018
- Acritas Star, Acritas, 2017 – 2021
- The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers, 1991 – 2021
- Texas Women Lawyers, Best Lawyers, 2014
- Texas Super Lawyer, Healthcare, Thomson Reuters, 2003 – 2020, 2022
- Texas Super Lawyer, Top 50 Central/West Texas Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2005 – 2008, 2010 – 2011, 2015, 2018
- Texas Super Lawyer, Top 50 Women Lawyers in Texas, Thomson Reuters, 2003, 2006 – 2008, 2010 – 2011, 2015
- Texas Super Lawyer, Top 100 lawyers in Texas, Thomson Reuters, 2007
- Texas Top Rated Lawyer, LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell, 2012 – 2018
- AV Preeminent Judicial Award, LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell, 2018, 2019
- Outstanding Health Care Litigator, Nightingale Healthcare News, 2004 – 2007
- Best Lawyers - Health Care Law, Best Lawyers, 2022 - 2024
- Best Lawyers - Litigation – Health Care, Best Lawyers, 2022 - 2024
- Best Lawyers - Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Best Lawyers, 2022 - 2024
- Best Lawyers - Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Best Lawyers, 2022 - 2024
Selected Publications:
- Co-author, "Lessons From 2020 Life Sciences Securities Class Actions ," Law360, January 14, 2021
- Co-author, "Economic Credentialing: A Balancing of Risks" AHLA Enterprise Risk Management Handbook for Healthcare Entities, Third Edition, 2017
- Co-author, "Sixth Circuit upholds FTC order in ProMedica case - Ohio hospital merger struck down as anticompetitive," Norton Rose Fulbright - Legal update, April 23, 2014
- Featured, "Female Powerbrokers Q&A: Norton Rose's Yvonne Puig," Law360, January 30, 2014
- "Economic Credentialing," AHLA Enterprise Risk Management for Healthcare Entities, 2009, 2013, 2015)
- Co-author, "Enterprise Risk Management for Healthcare Entities," First Edition, June 2009
- Co-author, "Fifth Circuit Reaffirms Federal Immunity in Physician Credentialing Case," Fulbright Briefing, July 25, 2008
- Co-author, "Washington Health Care Update," The International Law Firm of Fulbright & Jaworski - Health Care, July 25, 2008
- Co-author, "Washington Health Care Update," The International Law Firm of Fulbright & Jaworski - Health Care, May 16, 2008
- Co-author, "Fifth Circuit Reverses Judgment on Jury Verdict Against Hospital in Physician Credentialing Case," Fulbright Briefing, May 12, 2008
- "Emerging Issues in Healthcare," Chapter 3 of Managed Care, ERISA and Beyond, American Bar Association, February 2002 ( ABA Monograph)
Selected speeches:
- Speaker, "Operational Impact of Significant Cases," University of Texas' 26th Annual Health Law Conference, Houston, Texas, April 9-11, 2015
- Speaker: Legal Implications of Social Media Where social media and health care meet, Dallas, Texas March 25, 2014
- Moderator, "Credentialing Challenges for 2014," Norton Rose Fulbright 10th Annual Health Law Symposium, Austin, Texas, January 2014 and 2015
- Speaker, "Global trends in healthcare," Norton Rose Fulbright 10th Annual Health Law Symposium, Austin, Texas, January 30-31, 2014
- Presenter, "Evolution of a Global Law Firm," Norton Rose Fulbright , Montreal, January 13, 2014
- Speaker, "Annual Liability Update," Texas Hospital Association's 2013 Texas Health Law Conference, Austin, Texas, October 2013, 2014 and 2015
- Moderator, "Credentialing Challenges for 2012," Fulbright Eighth to Eleventh Annual Health Law Symposium, Austin, Texas, 2011 to 2015 Complex Commercial Torts: "Antitrust, Tortious Interference and more," July 2011
- Annual Fall Texas Hospital Association/ State Bar of Texas Symposium, 2005 to 2015
- 26th Annual Health Law Conference, University of Texas School of Law, Chair and speaker, April 2014 and 2015
- University of Texas School of Law, Annual Health Law Conference, Houston, Texas, 2001 - 2007, 2008 – 2015
- Presiding Officer, Chair and Speaker: University of Texas School of Law, "Suing and Defending Managed Care Providers" 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
- Texas Association of Health Plans Conference, October 2006
- National Emergency Department Practice Management Association, New Orleans, Louisiana
- ABA Managed Care Liability, Houston, Texas
- ABA Managed Care, Washington, D.C.
- State Bar of Texas Managed Care Seminar
- Life Sciences Editorial Advisory Board for Law360, 2016 - 2021
- Texas Board of Legal Specialization Inaugural Exam Commission - authored the first health law specialty examination for the State Bar of Texas (2002 - 2007)
- State Bar of Texas
- Health Law Section, Chair; Council Member
- American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
- American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA)
- American Bar Association
- Health Law Section
- Texas Association of Defense Counsel (TADC)
- ABOTA: American Board of Trial Advocates--, Faculty, Masters in Trial Series
- The University of Texas Center for Women in Law, Founding Member
- The University of Texas McCombs School of Business, Mentor (2014)
News
Austin team prevails in constitutional challenge to Texas non-economic damages cap
May 05, 2023
49 lawyers recognized as 2022 Texas Super Lawyers
September 21, 2022
Insights
The Joint Commission revises restraint and/or seclusion requirements for BHC organizations
Publication | July 22, 2024
Applying HIPAA to online tracking technologies: Court finds HHS guidance exceeds authority
Publication | July 02, 2024
CMS releases guidance on informed consent for teaching hospitals
Publication | April 04, 2024