Yvonne Puig has a substantial commercial litigation practice in both state and federal courts. She represents hospitals, HMOs, medical schools and other institutional health care providers and educational services companies. Her practice involves commercial and health care litigation, antitrust, regulatory and compliance advice, staff privileges and exclusive contracting. She has extensive experience in a variety of health law regulatory matters, including, but not limited to: EMTALA, credentialing, peer review, due process hearings, government regulatory investigations, including but not limited to, The Joint Commission accreditation and compliance. Additionally, she has experience reviewing business arrangements among managed care providers and other statutory and regulatory compliance.

She regularly advises her educational institution clients regarding state and federal regulatory and accrediting agency requirements. Yvonne has represented defendants in Qui Tam/False Claims Act actions and related investigations.

Yvonne's trial experience includes complex litigation, such as representation of hospital systems, manufacturers and sellers of medical devices, commercial and antitrust litigation involving the health care industry and educational service providers.

Yvonne has served as either lead counsel on  the following recent matters:

Hospital and Healthcare Facilities:

• Regulatory advice regarding panel selection and retention for a health care services company whose subsidiaries and affiliates own and operate acute care hospitals and related ancillary health care businesses
• National hospital system sued for 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 health care 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

 Healthcare Products & Services:

• Regulatory advice on patient consent issues for one of the top 100 hospitals for its cardiovascular services, general acute and specialty services
• 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
• Advice related to, and representation as needed, involving the EMTALA obligations on federal and state level

Educational Institutions:

• Regulatory advice for a company that operates career training centers regarding license revocation actions and compliance programs
• Enforcement action against a group of institutions that offer career oriented certificate and degree programs
• Regulatory and crisis management guidance

• 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)
• Texas Association of Defense Counsel (TADC)

• Chambers U.S.A. (2005 - 2011)
• The Best Lawyers in America (1991 to present)
• Health Care Law (1991 to present)
• Health Care Law and Litigation (1991 - 2007)
• "Texas Super Lawyer," Thomson Reuters (2003 - 2011)
• Top 50 Central/West Texas Super Lawyers (2005 - 2008, 2010, 2011)
• Top 50 Women Texas Super Lawyers (2006 - 2008, 2010, 2011)
• "Outstanding Health Care Litigator" Nightingale News Service
• "One of five outstanding lawyers in health law," Texas Lawyer "Go-To" Guide

Yvonne has published numerous articles on a variety of health care topics and liability updates.

• "Economic Credentialing," AHLA Enterprise Risk Management for Healthcare Entities, 2009
• 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 recent speeches:

• Moderator, "Credentialing Challenges for 2012," Fulbright Eighth Annual Health Law Symposium, Austin, Texas, February 2012
• Complex Commercial Torts:  "Antitrust, Tortious Interference and more," July 2011
• Annual Fall Texas Hospital/ State Bar of Texas Symposium, 2005 to 2011
  • Chair and Moderator, 2004
• University of Texas School of Law, Annual Health Law Conference, Houston, Texas, 2001 - 2007, 2008 - 2011
• 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
• University of Texas School of Law Program, Program Chair and Speaker, 1998 - 2000

1978 - J.D., The University of Texas School of Law
1975 - B.A., High Honors, Psychology, The University of Texas 

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.