Health Care Legal Departments Cite Compliance, Transactional, And Privacy Expertise Among Top Needs In AHLA-Bloomberg Law Survey

Survey Identifies Trends in Health Law Salaries, Priorities, and Concerns

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Jun 28, 2018, 10:00 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., June 28, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Results of a joint American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA)-Bloomberg Law survey reveal that the top three areas of expertise needed by health care legal departments are regulatory and compliance, transactional, and privacy and data security. These needs track closely to the most frequently addressed issues by these departments—the most common issue being privacy, data security, and cybersecurity.

The 2018 survey report and analysis is based on responses from nearly 500 attorneys across every type of health care provider and legal department size. It provides valuable insights into changes and trends in the industry, including budgets, salaries, staffing, and expertise needs. More information about the survey and report is available here: http://on.bna.com/OQvw30kBCXp.

"With data on salary and budget trends along with practitioner feedback on the top concerns facing their departments, this report provides vital insights for attorneys looking to start or extend their careers in this industry, as well as those determining priorities for their legal departments in the coming year," said Scott Falk, vice president and general manager for health care, litigation, and bankruptcy on Bloomberg Law. "We were pleased to collaborate with AHLA on this survey, which is augmented by in-depth analysis and guidance for practitioners."

"The in-house counsel salary survey has a long tradition at AHLA," says Robert A. Gerberry, senior vice president & general counsel at Summa Health System and chair of the AHLA In-House Counsel Practice Group. "Our new partnership with Bloomberg Law has enabled us not only to obtain a more robust data set, but also to create an insightful report that will inform the strategic planning of in-house counsel, aspiring in-house counsel, and the outside firms providing legal services to in-house teams."

Key findings in the 2018 survey and analysis include:

Nearly eight in ten respondents (78 percent) identified privacy, data security, and cybersecurity as a most often addressed concern.
A majority (53 percent) of respondents agree to some degree that the rising complexity of health law issues has necessitated consultation with outside counsel.
Smaller legal departments seem more likely to require input from outside counsel for labor and employment issues (60 percent for departments of 1 to 2 attorneys, 46 percent for departments of 3 to 5 attorneys, and 39 percent for departments of 6 to 10 attorneys).
Attorneys from the Northeast and West Coast have the highest mean base salaries with the West Coast attorneys obtaining the highest mean base salary.
In-house counsel from nonprofit health care providers and health care systems reported higher mean base salaries than for-profit health care providers.

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SOURCE Bloomberg Law