Jonathan Berger

A versatile and reliable healthcare operations attorney, Jonathan Berger has over 25 years’ experience advising public and private healthcare providers on regulatory compliance, transactions, corporate governance and operations. His practice encompasses transactions, facility support, and the execution of critical business decisions. Jonathan serves as a trusted resource known for maintaining focus and perspective while helping management realize the business and compliance goals of their organization. He provides timely and effective legal counsel, applying practical problem-solving skills in healthcare’s highly regulated and dynamic business environments.

Focused on Healthcare Provider Operations

As a member of Nelson Hardiman’s regulatory compliance team, Jonathan works closely with healthcare providers across a full spectrum of hospitals and health systems, including digital healthcare and the behavioral health sectors.  Jonathan applies his in-house experience to bring practical solutions to real-world problems, with a particular focus on healthcare operations.  He uses his substantial experience in commercial healthcare ranging from on-the-ground legal support to high-level strategic counsel to navigate a wide variety of issues for the firm’s clients.

Regulatory Compliance

In the course of his career, Jonathan has developed strong working knowledge of the key regulatory issues impacting the healthcare industry including the federal Anti-kickback Statute and Physician Self-Referral Laws (Stark) along with other federal and state general compliance laws. His experience makes him a trusted resource for advising on compliance issues impacting hospitals, long-term care facilities and rehabilitation clinics, home health agencies, medical spas, and physician and dental services groups. Involved for more than a decade with the oncology division of a pharmaceutical industry giant, Jonathan has conducted attorney-directed investigations for compliance matters involving reimbursement and other issues and prepared discovery responses for government investigations and payor audits. His regulatory compliance experience has informed operations support for a broad range of healthcare entities.

Transactions

Jonathan has an impressive background in transactional law with an emphasis on general business including asset purchase transactions, partnership agreements, equipment leasing,  and general commercial and employment matters.  Focused on healthcare law for two decades, he has acquired physician practices, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, and similar entities; organized joint ventures between hospitals and physician services groups; negotiated lease agreements for outpatient clinics; supervised defense counsel in litigation, and handled refinancing of real estate loans.  When it comes to drafting, unlike many attorneys, Jonathan believes that a good contract must be understandable, and that ambiguities are to be avoided rather than exploited.

Corporate Governance

Jonathan’s broad experience on a wide variety of commercial and corporate law issues allows him to navigate the complexities of corporate governance issues with confidence. In turn, his familiarity with his clients’ strategic business issues gives him the capacity to provide healthcare executives with the knowledge, understanding and mindset necessary to make appropriate decisions and to respect the highest standards of corporate governance.

Background in Operations Support

Before joining Nelson Hardiman, Jonathan worked in-house with a regional radiology group, a multi-state dental services organization, and spent 12 years with a global, science-led biopharmaceutical business in the outpatient oncology space.  Prior to that, Jonathan had also gained valuable practical experience working for national providers in acute care, long-term care and specialty hospitals and rehabilitation with large national providers.  Jonathan began his legal career after graduation from the USC Gould School of Law at the Los Angeles office of a global AmLaw 100 law firm.

Life Outside the Firm

When Jonathan is not at the office, he enjoys live music (serving as the Executive Director of a local musical arts organization) and is an avid car enthusiast.