About
Bob Wade
Nationally recognized Stark Law attorney. More than 37 years advising health systems, hospitals, physician groups and healthcare executives.
bob@wadehealthlaw.com
Franklin, TN
Bob Wade is one of the leading authorities in the United States on physician self-referral compliance, fair market value and commercial reasonableness.
He advises healthcare organizations nationwide on Stark Law compliance, physician compensation structuring, self-disclosure strategy, and enforcement defense under the federal fraud and abuse laws.
His practice centers on complex Stark Law compliance strategy, government investigations, CMS self-disclosures, Office of Inspector General matters, and Department of Justice enforcement defense. Organizations turn to Bob when evaluating high-risk financial arrangements, structuring physician compensation models, responding to whistleblower allegations, or defending Stark-based False Claims Act investigations.
He has represented major healthcare providers before the Department of Justice and the Office of Inspector General and has led numerous Stark Law self-disclosures to CMS, including guiding a health system through one of the most closely watched Stark self-disclosures in recent years. He has also served as independent compliance advisor to a hospital board under a Corporate Integrity Agreement.
His perspective is grounded in operational experience. Before private practice, Bob served as general counsel and organizational integrity officer for a multi-hospital health system. The result is guidance that is legally defensible and operationally sustainable.
Bob speaks nationally on Stark Law and physician self-referral issues and hosts Stark Integrity, a healthcare legal and compliance podcast.
Education
- The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, JD, summa cum laude, 1989 — Order of the Coif
- Bowling Green State University, BA, summa cum laude, 1986
Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Indiana
- Tennessee
Recognition
- The Best Lawyers in America, Health Care Law, 2009–2027
Professional activities
- Editorial advisory board, Strategies for Health Care Compliance
- Editorial advisory board, Report on Medicare Compliance
- American Association of Provider Compensation Professionals, Credential and Corporate Advisory Councils
Selected experience
Representative matters
A selected sampling, provided for information only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in any future matter.
- 01Lead legal counsel in the internal investigation, self-disclosure and $10.8 million settlement with the Department of Justice involving a Montana health system and an employed medical oncologist under the Stark Law, Civil Monetary Penalties Law and False Claims Act (2024)
- 02Independent compliance advisor to the Board of Commissioners of Halifax Health during its five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement, with effectiveness reviews submitted to the Office of Inspector General
- 03Filed self-reports under the OIG Self-Disclosure Protocol and the CMS Self-Referral Disclosure Protocol and negotiated the resulting settlement agreements
- 04Represented healthcare entities responding to Department of Justice civil investigative demands, subpoenas, litigation and qui tam matters
- 05Performed fair market value and commercial reasonableness defensibility analyses, from single arrangements to entire physician networks
- 06Developed value-based arrangements between hospitals and independent and employed medical staff
- 07Structured arrangements to comply with the Anti-Kickback Statute discount safe harbor
- 08Served as a witness on healthcare compliance and regulatory matters, including the Stark Law