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

Our biggest challenge during this year has been the acquisition of another Hospital through a bankruptcy procedure. The hospital that we are acquiring is one of the biggest hospitals (license-bed-wise) in the Metropolitan Area (Bayamon).

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

We have centralised the use of a cloud-based contract storage system that allows our team to review and approve all the contracts (agreements) for all our corporations (Hospital Español Auxilio Mutuo has six other affiliates and subsidiaries, the parent company is la Sociedad Española de Auxilio Mutuo y Beneficencia de Puerto Rico and I am the general counsel for all our corporations).

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

Expertise in healthcare law, risk management, communication skills, collaborative approach, dispute resolution, business acumen, adaptability and being detail-oriented are necessary qualities to succeed.