Jennifer A. Hansen
Partner
About
“Advocating for clients is an art, not a science. Engaging with clients and adversaries early and proactively in a professional manner can make all the difference.”
Jennifer Hansen’s representation of health care providers focuses on three primary areas: medical staff, payor/provider disputes, and post-acute care facility defense. She has represented hospitals, medical staffs, and post-acute providers in wide range of litigation including state and federal court trials, Judicial Review Committee hearings, arbitrations, administrative hearings, and mediations throughout the State of California. Jennifer connects and communicates with regulators, licensing boards, payors, and others to facilitate constructive discussions and early, positive resolutions.
Jennifer has over 15 years of experience representing medical staffs in sensitive high-profile cases involving medical staff membership and privileges. A significant portion of Jennifer’s practice involves advising medical staffs in credentialing and privileging matters, governance, by-laws, policies and procedures, rules and regulations, investigations, and reporting to the state professional licensing boards and the National Practitioner Data Bank. She has served as counsel in multiple peer review hearings and provides representation in writs and other litigation relating to medical staffs.
Her extensive knowledge of the health care payment and reimbursement landscape makes her particularly effective in representing hospitals and hospital systems, post-acute care providers, physicians, and other ancillary providers in managed care contract and non-contract payor/provider disputes with health care payors. She has collected millions of dollars in unpaid and underpaid patient claims for her provider clients, including obtaining awards of interest. Health care providers also count on Jennifer for advice and assistance with managed care contracts and out-of-network disputes or issues arising under the Knox-Keene Act, California Insurance Code, and ERISA. Jennifer has handled dozens of cases against almost every major payor, including but not limited to Blue Cross, Blue Shield, United, Aetna, and Cigna.
Jennifer has successfully served as lead counsel on investigations for prominent post-acute care facilities, adult residential facilities, hospitals and pharmacies, including alleged immediate jeopardy deficiencies. She has represented clients in challenges to federal deficiencies issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and state citations issued by the Department of Public Health and the Department of Social Services. Jennifer handles administrative hearings before the Department of Health and Human Services Departmental Appeals Board and Office of Administrative Hearings and Appeals.
Jennifer served on the firm’s Board of Directors from 2019-2022.
Representative Experience
- In 2025, prevailed in hearing upholding summary suspension of medical staff member’s privileges.
- In 2024, prevailed in hearing upholding summary restriction of medical staff member’s privileges.
- In 2024, prevailed in hearing for ACGME residency program upholding a termination and non-renewal of resident contract.
- In 2023, prevailed in joint hearing for academic medical center medical staffs upholding denials of medical staff application of a physician.
- In 2023, prevailed in defending public hospital board in Superior Court writ proceeding following 2022 defense in public censure reconsideration proceeding.
- In 2023, represented medical group in peer review hearing relating to a termination of employment for medical disciplinary cause or reason.
- In 2021, 2023, and 2024, represented multiple clients in pro bono adoption proceedings.
- In 2022, assisted two post-acute care facilities with dismissals of immediate jeopardy deficiencies.
- In 2021, represented medical staff in year-long peer review proceeding involving alleged sexual misconduct relating to summary suspension of physician.
- In 2020, represented health system client in contentious peer review proceeding resulting in the upholding of the denial of re-appointment of advanced practice professional.
- In 2019, defended County hospital in health care provider contract dispute.
- Successfully represented hospital on appeal where trial court properly refused to certify class of self-pay patients contesting hospital’s use of Chargemaster rates in Kendall v. Scripps Health, 16 Cal.App.5th 553 (2017) and obtained defense verdict at trial.
- Successfully represented hospital on appeal where trial court properly refused to certify class of self-pay patients contesting hospital’s use of Chargemaster rates in Hefczyc v. Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, 17 Cal.App.5th 518 (2017).
- Won arbitration proceeding for hospital system confirmed by the Ninth Circuit in Scripps v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, (5/30/14) (Case No. 12-56493).
Case Studies
News & Insights
News
- Jennifer Hansen Named a 2027 San Diego Super Lawyer
- 35 HLB Attorneys Receive Recognition by Best Lawyers in America 2027
- Hooper, Lundy & Bookman Congratulates 2026 San Diego Super Lawyer
- 35 HLB Attorneys Receive Recognition by Best Lawyers in America 2026
- HLB Celebrates its 2025 Women of Influence in Law Honorees, Recognized by the San Diego Business Journal
- Hooper, Lundy & Bookman Congratulates 2025 San Diego Super Lawyers
- Thirty-One HLB Attorneys Have Been Named “Best Lawyers in America 2025” and “Ones to Watch”
- Congratulations to HLB’s 2024 San Diego Super Lawyer & Rising Stars
- Jennifer Hansen is named “Top 100 Leaders in Law 2023” by the San Diego Business Journal
- Twenty-One HLB Attorneys Have Been Named “Best Lawyers in America 2024” and Five HLB Attorneys as “Ones to Watch”
- Jennifer Hansen named by San Diego Business Journal’s Women of Influence in Law 2023
- HLB’s 2023 San Diego Super Lawyer and Rising Stars
- Hooper, Lundy & Bookman Celebrates 35 Years!
- AHLA Announces New 2022 Leadership Positions
- Hooper, Lundy & Bookman Ranked in the 2020 Edition of US News/Best Lawyers in America Best Law Firms
- Hooper, Lundy & Bookman Named To American Bar Association’s Health Law Top 10 List
- Hooper, Lundy & Bookman Launches Webinar Series with Focused Discussions on Post-Acute Care Partnerships
- Hooper Lundy & Bookman Recognized Among the Top Health Law Firms in the United States by Chambers USA
- Hooper, Lundy & Bookman Promotes Five Partners and One Senior Counsel
Insights
- California’s AB 1199 Extends Medical Staff Reappointment Cycles to Every Three Years
- California NPs Authorized to Sign Death Certificates under AB 583 Beginning July 1, 2026
- New California Law Increases Maximum Physician-to-PA Supervision Ratio from 1:4 to 1:8 as of January 1, 2026
- Impending AB 2319 Implicit Bias Training Deadline for Perinatal Providers Amid Shifting Federal Landscape
- SB 1451: New California Law Simplifies 103 and 104 NP Certification, Updates Patient Disclosures, and Clarifies Physician Licensure For Postgraduates
- HLB’s Digital Health Practice Co-Author’s AHLA Telehealth Law Handbook
- Urgent Update: Joint Commission Approves Three Year Appointments
- Examining a Hearing Officer’s Risk of Bias from Alleged Financial Conflict in Peer Review Proceedings: The California Supreme Court’s Ruling in Natarajan v. Dignity Health (Aug. 12, 2021, S259364)
- The Evolving Legal Landscape of Late Career Practitioner Policies
- New Law Changes Physician Assistant Supervision Requirements Effective January 1, 2020
- SB 425 adds Section 805.8 to the California Business & Professions Code Requiring Reporting of Allegations of Sexual Abuse or Sexual Misconduct in Certain Circumstances
- Health Law Perspectives, February 2019
- Lessons from California Appellate Court Decision in Powell v. Bear Valley Community Hospital
- Health Law Perspectives Medical Staff Special Edition, May 2018
Events
- Jennifer Hansen To Speak at CAMSS Desert Chapter Educational Conference
- Jennifer Hansen To Speak at RCMA
- Jennifer Hansen & Emily Brinkman Speak at CAMSS 55th Annual Education Forum
- Jennifer Hansen & Stephanie Gross To Speak at CAMSS Desert Chapter Annual Legal Conference
- Emily Brinkman and Jennifer Hansen to Speak at CAMSS 2025 Virtual Fall Conference
- HLB Medical Staff Lawyers Speak at CAMSS Desert Chapter Annual Legal Conference
- Jennifer Hansen and Ian Tapu Speak at CAMSS Desert Chapter Annual Legal Conference
- Jennifer Hansen to Speak at CAMSS 54th Annual Education Forum
- Jennifer Hansen and Catherine Wicker are speaking at CAMSS Desert Chapter Annual Legal Conference
- Jennifer Hansen and Catherine Wicker Co-Presented at CAMSS Desert Chapter’s Virtual Conference
- Jennifer Hansen, Emily Brinkman, and Maydha Vinson Present at CAMSS on “Legal Update: MSPs in the Know”
- HLB Webinar – Minutes Matter: Practical Pointers for Drafting Medical Staff Records
- Sharing Peer Review Information – Practical Approaches to Protect Confidentiality and Immunity Protections
- California Association Medical Staff Services Virtual 2022 Annual Meeting
- California Association Medical Staff Services Virtual 2022 Annual Meeting
- NAMSS Webinar: Practical Pointers for Addressing the Impact of COVID-19 on Medical Staffs
- Webinar: Practical Tips for Medical Staffs in the Face of COVID-19
- CAMSS 48th Annual Educational Forum: Medical Staff Legal Update
- University of San Diego Extension Course
- CAMSS Desert Chapter Annual Legal Conference 2019
- HLB 2019 Medical Staff Update Seminar
- California Association of Health Facilities Annual Conference
- UC San Diego Extension Course
Recognition
-
Best Lawyers
Health Care Law, 2024-2027; Litigation – Health Care, 2024-2027 -
California State Bar Association
Wiley W. Manuel Award and Legal Aid Society of San Diego’s Outstanding Service Award, 2009-2010 -
San Diego Business Journal
Top 100 Leaders in Law, 2023 -
San Diego Business Journal
Women of Influence in Law, 2023 & 2025 -
San Diego Daily Transcript
Outstanding Young Attorney, 2010 -
Super Lawyers, San Diego
2023-2027
Professional Affiliations
-
American Health Lawyers Association
Hospitals & Health Systems, Public Health System Affinity Group; ACO Credentialing Work Group; Healthcare Liability and Litigation Practice Group; Medical Staff, Credentialing, and Peer Review Practice Group, Past Social Media Chair, 2016-2018 -
American Bar Association
Health Law Section -
California Academy of Attorneys for Health Care Professionals
-
California Association of Medical Staff Services
-
California Society of Healthcare Attorneys
-
Lawyers Club Community Outreach Committee
Past Co-Chair -
National Association of Medical Staff Services
-
San Diego County Bar Association
Law & Medicine Section, Past Co-Chair