ABOUT HEALTHCARE NEUTRAL

Healthcare Neutral was founded on two fundamental premises:

  1. Legal disputes can be resolved more quickly, cost effectively and with less harm to the parties’ relationships through alternatives to courtroom litigation.
  2. Effective resolution of healthcare industry disputes requires a well-trained, trusted neutral with subject matter expertise.

Meet Healthcare Neutral - Rich Webb

I formed Healthcare Neutral, LLC in 2007 following 25 years of legal practice in the healthcare industry, where I often saw clients and other parties struggle to resolve their differences. During that time, healthcare law had grown from a small niche field to a major legal practice area nationwide - but a corresponding development of ADR neutrals with comparable expertise had not occurred. My goal was to fill that need. Twelve years later, what was an adjunct to my healthcare legal practice has become my full-time pursuit.

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Rich is appointed to:

* The AAA’s National Panel of Commercial Arbitrators and Mediators

* The AAA’s Healthcare National Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators  

* The AAA’s National Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators for Payor-Provider Disputes

* The AHLA Dispute Resolution Service's Panel of Arbitrators

* The Superior Court of New Jersey's Roster of Court Appointed Mediators

* The Federal District Court of New Jersey's Roster of Certified Mediators

He is currently a member of:

* The New Jersey State Bar Association Health Law Section (Board of Directors-Emeritus, and former Chair)

* The New Jersey State Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section (former Board Member and Officer)

* Justice Marie L. Garibaldi American Inn of Court for Alternative Dispute Resolution

* American Bar Association, Health Law and Dispute Resolution Sections

* American Health Lawyers Association

 

How Healthcare Neutral is different

Real subject matter expertise

I understand your business and the issues raised by your dispute, and appreciate what both parties are trying to accomplish.

Dedication to healthcare matters

In order to deliver value, I focus my dispute resolution practice on what I know – healthcare business and law.

Independent ADR practice


To avoid any conflicts of interest, my professional practice is limited to work as an independent neutral. This permits me to provide objective and unbiased guidance and opinions.

Practical approach to solving problems

While each ADR process has its own rules, I use a very analytical yet practical approach to solving problems that can greatly improve the application of those rules to the parties’ benefit.

What I Do

I serve as an arbitrator, mediator and hearing officer for parties in significant conflicts and disputes arising in the healthcare field. Typically, I work directly with the parties’ legal counsel to design and implement the dispute resolution process required.

How I Work

A hallmark of ADR is the parties’ right to determine the process they will use to resolve their differences. I will assist you and your counterpart to reach agreement on the process to use and the approach to that process (scope, pace and schedule). Once this course is set, I will apply the rules the parties have chosen to meet their objective - an informed and reasoned conclusion.

Applying subject matter expertise is critical to the neutral’s role in two respects. First, at the outset of the engagement, it enables the neutral to work with counsel to identify and clarify the key issues in dispute, and the information required to resolve those issues.  Second, to the extent the neutral’s role includes an evaluative component, it enables an informed analysis of the merits that both parties can respect.

What I Know

Most of my legal career over 41 years has been spent advising clients in the healthcare field. I have served as the managing partner of a boutique healthcare law firm, the healthcare practice leader of a major regional law firm, a solo healthcare law practitioner and the Chief Legal Officer of a healthcare system.  I have incorporated this experience into my work as an arbitrator, mediator and hearing officer in a wide variety of healthcare disputes.

Some of the specific subjects I have dealt with extensively in my legal and dispute resolution career include:

  • Payor - Provider managed care contracts and disputes
  • Formation and operation of IPAs, ACOs and CINs
  • Hospital mergers, acquisitions and affiliations
  • Joint ventures - formation and dissolution
  • Provider contracts
  • Medical Staff bylaws, clinical privileges and fair hearings
  • Employment agreements
  • Partnership and shareholder agreements
  • Restrictive covenants
  • Antitrust and unfair competition
  • Outsourcing and vendor agreements
  • Medicare and Medicaid payment issues
  • Stark and Anti-Kickback laws
  • Nonprofit corporate law
  • Federal tax exemption under IRC Section 501(c)(3)
  • Hospital governance and organizational structure
  • Healthcare facility financing
  • Healthcare real estate transactions