Keith L. Hovey is Counsel on the Corporate and Health Law groups at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A. He advises health care providers and business clients on regulatory, compliance, and operational matters, drawing on a background that blends legal, clinical, and in-house experience.
With over twenty years in healthcare, Mr. Hovey regularly counsels and represents health care professionals and organizations in matters involving contract negotiations, employment agreements, regulatory compliance, licensure matters, patient safety issues, and professional discipline. Mr. Hovey previously served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for a large academic health system, where he provides strategic legal guidance across hospital and clinical operations, patient safety and quality, compliance and audit, real estate, and construction operations where he oversaw the drafting and negotiation of complex corporate transactions such as the formation and structure of healthcare entities, professional service agreements, joint ventures, corporate documents, employment and vendor agreements, as well as licensure compliance. His work often involves analysis of federal and state statutes and regulations, including New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners and Board of Nursing regulations, New Jersey Department of Health licensing standards, patient safety reporting obligations, HIPAA & HITECH, fraud and abuse laws, anti-kickback laws, self-referral (Stark) laws, and the False Claims Act. His practice is also informed by his prior clinical experience as a registered nurse, having worked in the cardio‑thoracic intensive care unit and emergency department, giving him a distinct perspective on standards of care, operational issues, professional licensure, and patient‑safety issues.
Mr. Hovey is a member of The American Association of Nurse Attorneys (TAANA), New Jersey State and Middlesex County Bar Associations and a member of the Health Law Section. He is a frequent author, speaker, and legislative witness on healthcare law and policy issues, and has served in leadership roles with professional organizations and on government committees focused on healthcare issues. Mr. Hovey has served on Governor Mikie Sherrill’s Interdisciplinary Advisory Task Force on Affordable Healthcare, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs’ Liability Working Group for the Subcommittee on Poverty, Neglect and Community Outcome for the NJ Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, and as Chair of the New Jersey State Nurses Association’s Political Action Committee. He currently serves as Chair for the Legislative Workgroup on the Implementation Team for the NJ Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect.
Results achieved in prior matters are not meant to be a guarantee of success, as the facts and legal circumstances vary from matter to matter. Keith L. Hovey has been recognized for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America for Commercial Litigation and Appellate Practice from 2016 through 2019 and was honored with the 2019 Outstanding Advocate award by The American Association of Nurse Attorneys. He was also selected as a New Jersey Super Lawyers “Rising Star” from 2011 through 2016.Best Lawyers in America® (https://www.bestlawyers.com/methodology) is published by Best Lawyers.
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A description of the selection processes may be accessed via the above links. The aforementioned organizations are private peer review organizations, not court-specific, public certification vehicles. No aspect of this advertisement has been submitted to or approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
