Medicare's Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) model introduces new prior authorization requirements that carry significant implications for healthcare providers and patients. In this episode of "Counsel That Cares," host Morgan Ribeiro speaks with Healthcare Senior Policy Advisor Miranda Franco, Healthcare Policy attorney Jennifer Hananoki and Anders Gilberg, senior vice president of government affairs at the Medical Group Management Association, about the model's rollout across six states. The speakers examine implementation challenges, administrative burdens, patient access concerns and congressional scrutiny while considering whether WISeR can reduce fraud, waste and abuse without delaying medically necessary care.

As demand for aesthetic services continues to rise, medical spas face growing scrutiny over patient safety, clinical oversight and regulatory compliance. In this episode of "Counsel That Cares," host Morgan Ribeiro speaks with healthcare attorneys Brett Elliott and Kim Rai, as well as New U Women's Clinic & Aesthetics Founder and CEO Rachel Fidino, ARNP, DNP, about the rapid expansion of the medical spa industry and the legal and operational challenges accompanying that growth. Bringing both legal and clinical perspectives, the speakers examine how scope-of-practice laws, supervision requirements and enforcement trends are shaping the industry while highlighting why strong compliance programs, active clinical leadership and accountability remain essential for managing risk, protecting patients and supporting sustainable growth.

Healthcare organizations can no longer rely on paperwork alone to prove compliance: Regulators increasingly expect concrete proof that governance structures operate in practice as described in the abstract. In this episode of "Counsel That Cares," healthcare attorney Shalyn Watkins and Camino Strategy Group CEO Phoebe Gutierrez examine how California's Corporate Practice of Medicine (CPOM) doctrine is shaping healthcare transactions, digital health platforms and investor-backed healthcare organizations. Using the recent Carbon Health settlement, ongoing litigation and broader enforcement trends as examples, they explain why regulators are looking beyond contract language to scrutinize operational decision-making, physician independence and management company control, while offering practical guidance for organizations seeking to structure and expand healthcare businesses in California's increasingly active regulatory environment.