Jennifer A. Hansen

Partner
Co-Chair, Medical Staff Practice Group

“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 hundreds of 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 Matters

  • In 2022, defended public hospital board in public censure reconsideration proceeding.
  • 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 of Riverside in health care provider contract dispute.
  • Kendall v. Scripps Health, 16 Cal.App.5th 553 (2017) (successfully represented hospital on appeal where trial court properly refused to certify class of self-pay patients contesting hospital’s use of Chargemaster rates).
  • Hefczyc v. Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, 17 Cal.App.5th 518 (2017) (successfully represented hospital on appeal where trial court properly refused to certify class of self-pay patients contesting hospital’s use of Chargemaster rates).
  • 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).
  • 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
  • Women of Influence in Law, 2023

  • San Diego Daily Transcript
  • Outstanding Young Attorney, 2010

  • Super Lawyers, San Diego
  • 2023

  • Best Lawyers
  • Health Care Law and Litigation-Health Care, 2024

  • 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

  • California Society of Healthcare Attorneys
  • American Bar Association
  • Health Law Section

  • California Academy of Attorneys for Health Care Professionals
  • California Association of Medical Staff Services
  • National Association of Medical Staff Services
  • San Diego County Bar Association
  • Law & Medicine Section, Past Co-Chair

  • Lawyers Club Community Outreach Committee
  • Past Co-Chair