Bass, Berry & Sims is pleased to announce a six-week educational program focused on healthcare mergers and acquisitions led by Bass, Berry & Sims attorney, Leigh Walton. The programming will begin April 20, 2022 and will be comprised of six 90-minute sessions focused on a variety of healthcare M&A topics, including:

  • How healthcare M&A transactions are initiated.
  • The steps in a typical acquisition.
  • How to best structure the deal (merger, stock purchase or asset purchase).
  • The types of structures for various transactions (including transactions with not-for-profits, acquisitions of hospitals with physician ownership, acquisitions of surgery centers with surgeon ownership and for profit/not-for-profit joint ventures).
  • The operation and negotiation of the acquisition agreement (and how it will differ if there is representations and warranty insurance).
  • Antitrust issues that are key in mergers and acquisitions.
  • The fiduciary duty issues that directors face in considering the approval of deals.
  • Healthcare regulatory overview and impact on deals.
  • The business of healthcare companies (payment models).

Often lawyers are asked to perform discreet tasks in a healthcare M&A transaction. This program will promote a greater appreciation of your work in the context of the overall transaction, and the business environment of the modern, complex and rapidly changing healthcare sector.

Goals for the Program

At the end of the program, participants will:

  • Understand the process by which healthcare transactions are consummated, including the initiation of a deal, structuring the deal, basics of the acquisition agreement and post-closing issues.
  • Appreciate the basics of the federal and state healthcare payment and regulatory structures that impact healthcare deals, including Medicare and Medicaid, the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law, the False Claims Act, HIPPA and state licensure and CON regulations.
  • Be familiar with the nuances of a healthcare acquisition agreement and how these agreements differ from one involving a non-healthcare company.

About Leigh Walton

Leigh Walton is an attorney with more than 40 years of healthcare mergers and acquisitions experience. Throughout her career, she has advised a wide variety of public companies in the areas of corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions and securities offerings, as well as representing private equity funds in the healthcare sector. She chaired for three years the ABA’s Mergers & Acquisitions Committee with over 5,000 lawyers from 40 countries. Leigh has been recognized by countless leading industry outlets, including Chambers USA, BTI, The Best Lawyers in America©, IFLR1000 and others. Learn more about her legal career here.


Schedule: Every Wednesday for six weeks, starting April 20, 2022, from 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (Central) with a brief reception following each session.

Accreditation & Registration Details
This program is approved for nine hours general Tennessee CLE credit. Please provide your BPR number upon registration in order for Bass, Berry & Sims to report your participation to the Tennessee CLE Commission following this six-week program.

Please note: Space is limited for this in-person program. Space will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are interested in participating, please contact Devin Lintzenich.