Ruby W. Wood is a founding member of the firm. She provides advice to healthcare clients, including multi-institutional health systems, academic health centers, hospital administrations, medical staffs, health plans and medical groups. Her practice focuses on the broad scope of medical staff legal issues, including internal governance and policy development, credentialing, peer review and quality assurance efforts, corrective actions, administrative hearings, and litigation matters. Ruby has served as lead counsel in numerous medical staff hearings and litigation proceedings and appears in federal and state court as well as at arbitration on behalf of her clients.
Her work also includes advising clients on their dealings with the state licensing boards, The Joint Commission and other regulatory compliance agencies. She works collaboratively with Medical Staff leaders and Hospital Administrations to address peer review matters, including applications and reappointment issues, medical staff and joint investigations, fair hearing proceedings, reporting issues, information sharing, return to practice assessments, Hospital Administration and Medical Staff interactions, HIPAA and privacy issues, exclusive contracting and closed departments, and the application of the protections afforded to medical staffs under state and federal law (with an emphasis on California Evidence Code section 1157 protection). She has particular expertise addressing concerns relating to clinical competency and professional conduct, as well as harassment allegations. Her practice includes providing representation in connection with healthcare litigation encompassing medical staff issues, including writ proceedings, subpoena responses, patient safety concerns, retaliation claims, contract disputes and associated allegations.
Much of Ruby’s practice involves highly sensitive issues relating to peer review processes within healthcare provider organizations. She works to support her clients’ ongoing efforts to improve quality of care within the realities of a highly complex, imperfect system. Ruby’s core objective is to facilitate her client’s ability to make informed decisions and to arrive at effective, pragmatic solutions that balance patient safety with fair procedure and due process considerations. She works to evaluate each situation, determine the feasibility of various outcomes and the best path to an optimum resolution, and then works together with her clients as they navigate the various issues that may arise.
