Beth Evans Vessel

Partner
Practices
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Industry

Beth Vessel is a member of Holland & Knight's Healthcare Section and a co-leader of the Healthcare Transactions practice group. Ms. Vessel knows how to structure and negotiate deals, focusing extensively on physician and provider joint ventures. She regularly handles mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures, as well as private securities offerings, primarily in the healthcare industry. She represents the nation's largest operator of ambulatory surgery centers in connection with acquisitions, divestitures, development transactions and physician syndications.

Clients also rely on her to advise them on antitrust law related to due diligence issues, pre- and post-transaction conduct and general compliance.

Ms. Vessel has assisted clients with numerous pre-merger notification filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. Client interaction and structuring creative solutions to complex problems are what she values most about her work.

Clients from the following areas call upon Ms. Vessel for her advice and counsel:

  • diagnostic imaging/oncology
  • surgery centers
  • physician practices
  • hospitals
  • behavioral health

Representative Experience

Ambulatory Surgery Centers

  • Represented United Surgical Partners International (USPI) in connection with its acquisition of a controlling interest in 22 ambulatory surgery centers in Arizona, Colorado and Maryland through a joint venture with another urology network
  • Represented USPI in its acquisition of Audubon Surgery Center and assisted in structuring the transaction and in getting the center licensed and enrolled in governmental payer programs
  • Represented USPI in its acquisition of interests in Bristol Surgery Center in East Tennessee
  • Represented USPI in the acquisition of an interest in multi-specialty surgery center in New Jersey
  • Represented USPI in the acquisition of Borland Groover's two locations of Jacksonville Center for Endoscopy
  • Represented USPI in its joint venture with an affiliate of Adventist Health System/Sunbelt, a Florida not-for-profit corporation, to open new surgery centers in Central Florida

Behavioral Health

  • Represented Vertava Health in connection with the sale of its operations in Ohio, Massachusetts and Texas to OMT Addiction Centers
  • Represented Acadia Healthcare in its $1.3 billion acquisition of CRC Health Group, a leading provider of treatment services related to substance abuse and other addiction and behavioral disorders
  • Represented an owner/operator of behavioral health programs in its acquisition of an Indiana treatment center for women with eating disorders
  • Represented a behavioral health programs owner/operator in its acquisition of an eating disorder treatment center in Ohio
  • Assisted a behavioral health programs operator in the acquisition of a treatment center for women that treats eating disorders, anxiety, depression, trauma and obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • Represented Odyssey Behavioral Healthcare in the acquisition of Clearview Treatment Programs in Venice Beach, California

Hospitals and Health Systems

  • Served as counsel to The Health Care Authority of the City of Anniston, Alabama, in its $25 million acquisition of Stringfellow Memorial Hospital
  • Represented Duke LifePoint in its $483 million acquisition of Marquette General Hospital in Michigan
  • Represented Mississippi Baptist Health System in its merger with Baptist Memorial Healthcare, resulting in a combined system of 21 hospitals with $2.5 billion in revenues
  • Provided the University of Kentucky transaction structure guidance, contract and deal negotiation, and anti-trust and healthcare analysis in forming its joint venture with KD Health
  • Assisted RCCH HealthCare Partners in a healthcare information technology (IT) transaction involving the acquisition of a medical billing and revenue cycle management company

Additional Experience

  • Represented Radiation Business Solutions in connection with a restructuring of its operations in Alaska
  • Advised a leading medical services provider in its acquisition of a Hawaii-based cancer practice from physician-owners

Credentials

Education
  • The University of Chicago Law School, J.D., with honors
  • Vanderbilt University, B.A., Mathematics; Economics, summa cum laude
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • Tennessee
Memberships
  • Nashville Bar Association
  • Tennessee Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • American Health Law Association
  • National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Volunteer
  • Former Girl Scout Troop Leader
  • Second Harvest Food Bank, Volunteer
Honors & Awards
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Antitrust Law, 2023-2027; Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2019-2027; Health Care Law, 2025-2027
  • Martindale Hubbell AV rated
  • 2023 Lipscomb Academy Alumni Award

Publications

  • FTC Issues New HSR Rules Significantly Expanding Current Antitrust Reporting Obligations, Holland & Knight Alert, October 15, 2024
  • FTC Bans Non-Competes: Takeaways and Action Items for Healthcare Provider CEOs and Investors , Holland & Knight Alert, April 26, 2024
  • FTC and DOJ Issue Final Merger Guidelines That Expand Reviews and Limit Combinations, Holland & Knight Alert, December 20, 2023
  • A Year in Review in Healthcare Antitrust: What Healthcare Providers Need to Know, December 15, 2023
  • State Action Immunity Trumps Federal Pre-Merger Notification Requirements, Holland & Knight Alert, October 3, 2023
  • Revised Merger Guidelines Would Expand Reviews and Limit Combinations, Holland & Knight Alert, July 24, 2023
  • Killing Deals Softly: FTC Proposes 107-Hour Increase in Hart-Scott-Rodino Burden, Holland & Knight Alert, June 28, 2023
  • DOJ Cancels Three Healthcare Antitrust Policies, Client Alert, February 6, 2023
  • FTC Proposes an End to Employee Non-Compete Agreements, Client Alert, January 6, 2023
  • Scrutiny Increases on Private Equity and Hospital Deals, Client Alert, July 11, 2022
  • The Attack on Non-Competes - And What Comes Next, Client Alert, August 25, 2021
  • FTC Commissioner Expresses Concern Over PE Roll-Ups, Client Alert, July 10, 2020
  • Recent Cases Offer Increased Prospects for Mergers by Competing Hospitals, Client Alert, July 19, 2016
  • Flurry of Activity Signals FTC’s Ongoing Interest in Healthcare Transactions, Client Alert, April 21, 2016
  • FTC Administrative Actions and Comments Indicate Shifting Landscape for Hospitals and Other Providers, Client Alert, February 11, 2016
  • FTC Continues Focus on Healthcare Transactions with Penn State Hershey Merger, Client Alert, December 9, 2015
  • Recent FTC Administrative Decisions and Comments Indicate Shifting Landscape For Hospitals, Client Alert, November 13, 2015
  • FTC Releases Guidelines Regarding Unfair Methods of Competition, Client Alert, August 20, 2015
  • Denial of St. Luke's Appeal Shows Importance of Competitive Review of Transactions, Client Alert, February 16, 2015

Speaking Engagements

  • Show Me the Money: How Investors View Healthcare, 27th Annual Emerging Issues in Healthcare Law Conference, American Bar Association (ABA) Health Law Section, April 9, 2026