What is the number one challenge that has impacted you over the past year?

I would say that the number one challenge in the healthcare industry is to keep up with the constant changes, regulations, and practices of the industry. It is always a challenge to give legal advice in a changing industry because people normally are resistant to changes. So, when we must give legal advice about an issue it has suffered changes is always difficult to implement those differences. That has a bigger impact when the legal advice affects a plan of action the institution had already their mindset.

What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house counsel lawyer in the industry?

A successful in-house counsel should be knowledgeable of the industry regulations, keep up with the constant changes in regulations and be versatile in their legal knowledge. The healthcare industry and specifically hospitals can handle a wide variety of legal issues not strictly related to the health law. Even when there is always the possibility to consult legal issues with an external counsel, the in-house counsel must be able to discern and give a final legal recommendation to the institution on any legal matter in controversy.