Helping Providers Provide -
Cary Adams and Frank Fedor
By Anthony Perez

January 1, 1999 brought many changes for the two former healthcare partners of Diepenbrock, Wulff, Plant & Hannegan, LLP. It was the end of a very long and distinguished legal era for Diepenbrock, one of the west coast's oldest and most prestigious firms, and the beginning of a new era for Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld LLP, a new firm that Cary Adams and Frank Fedor helped form. On this date, Cary and Frank brought their legal expertise and experience to the new firm to immediately establish one of Sacramento's strongest healthcare practices.

Although Fedor and Adams both practice health law focusing on advising healthcare providers, the nature of each partner's practice differs.

Fedor's practice focuses on litigation, representing hospitals and other health facilities in disputes, primarily large reimbursement contract disputes, with managed care organizations. A seasoned litigator, Fedor has represented clients in state and federal courts and before arbitration panels, successfully obtaining millions in reimbursement for his clients.

Fedor has had similar success representing clients from throughout the nation in complex disputes related to Medicare and Medi-Cal reimbursement. This facet of Fedor's practice has him appearing in federal courts throughout the nation as well as before the Provider Reimbursement Review Board in Baltimore.

The experience Fedor has gained from his healthcare related litigation has provided him with knowledge needed for the other major portion of his practice, that of healthcare compliance. Fedor is often called upon to speak on compliance-related topics, assisting healthcare professionals in understanding and complying with the numerous, and often confusing, state and federal healthcare laws and regulations. An accomplished author as well, Fedor has published numerous articles in national healthcare journals regarding healthcare compliance and has served as an editor for legal treatises on health law.

Fedor entered the practice of health law while a partner at the former Diepenbrock firm. According to Fedor, he did so because he wanted to develop an industry focus for his business litigation practice. In health law, he saw opportunity and the potential to build a successful practice.

Cary Adams, the "Adams" in Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld, brings to the firm more than two decades of experience in health law. He has vast experience in assisting his healthcare clients in complying with often very complex regulatory requirements in their business transactions. His expertise has been called upon by his clients to help in the establishment and/or building of numerous local health facilities including portions of Methodist Hospital, the Fort Sutter Surgery Center, the Mercy Medical Plaza, and the purchase and creation of a medical clinic for the Center for Aids Research, Education and Services. Adams' practice also focuses on the resolution of disputes regarding healthcare entities. In this vein, he has served on a number of occasions as a arbitrator in healthcare disputes.

Adams began his health law career at the former Sacramento office of Memel Jacobs Pierno & Gersh, where he was recruited from the Washington, D.C. firm of Arnold & Porter. Although he had no health law experience when he arrived in Sacramento, he did have the regulatory and federal court background that the Memel Jacobs firm was seeking. Unfortunately, after arriving in Sacramento Adams was surprised to find that his boss was leaving the firm to move to an in-house counsel position, leaving Adams as the sole attorney in the Sacramento office. However, Adams persevered and developed the office and his health law practice. When Memel Jacobs dissolved in 1987, Cary was able to bring a successful healthcare practice to Diepenbrock, Wulff, Plant & Hannegan.

Adams has used his vast experience in health law to help educate others interested in the health law. He has served as an adjunct professor for McGeorge School of Law and the University of Southern California and as a Visiting Assistant Professor at UC Davis. According to Adams, he enjoys teaching because of the great students that he meets, many of whom are hard at work in the provider community.

Prior to entering private practice, both Adams and Fedor had similar experiences as judicial clerks. Adams served as a clerk for Judge Frank A. Kaufman of the U.S. District Court in Baltimore. He recalls seeing former President George Bush testifying in his capacity as CIA director. Fedor served as a clerk for Justice Christine Durham of the Utah Supreme Court. According to Fedor, his most interesting accomplishment as a clerk was drafting both the majority and dissenting opinions for a published Utah Supreme Court Case.

Adams and Fedor have a long history of public service. Both have served as pro bono counsel for the Center for Aids Research, Education and Services. Adams has served on the California Chamber of Commerce, the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, and the University of Southern California, Sacramento Public Affairs Center. Fedor has served on Board of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, Northern California Chapter as well as serving as President of the Board of Directors for the Camellia Orchestra.