R. Christopher Raphaely

R. Christopher Raphaely

Member, Board of Visitors
College of Public Health

Biography:

As the Co-Chair for health law at Cozen O’Connor, a prominent Philadelphia law firm, Chris provides sophisticated transactional and regulatory counsel to an array of hospitals, health systems, accountable care organizations, physicians, professional liability insurers, and other provider organizations. Prior to joining the firm in 2014, Chris served as deputy general counsel to Jefferson Health System and general counsel to the system’s accountable care organization and captive professional liability insurance companies.

Chris has worked in the health care industry for nearly three decades. His practice focuses on major transactions for health care clients and the comprehensive regulatory schemes requisite to doing business in the health care space. Chris handles matters involving payer negotiations, payment disputes and contract enforcement, accountable care organizations, clinically integrated networks, value based payment arrangements, pharmacy benefit management and third party administrator contracts for self-insured employers, digital health, organizational and governance structures, HIPAA, information privacy and security, tax exemption, Stark Law, fraud and abuse matters, clinical integration, provider acquisitions, divestitures, medical staff relations, facility and professional licensing, Pennsylvania's Medical Marijuana Act, and general compliance.

At Jefferson Health System, Chris served as a legal advisor to the system’s board of trustees and executive team and played key roles in Jefferson Health System’s largest and most complex transactions. During his tenure, Chris helped lead the system’s restructuring efforts in 2010 and the separation of its members in 2014, which resulted in the creation of three autonomous and agile health systems. As a result of his extensive in-house experience, Chris has a deeply ingrained understanding of health care clients’ governance structures, day-to-day operations, goals, and expectations.

Prior to joining Jefferson Health System, Chris spent 16 years in private practice representing health care clients in a wide array of transactional and regulatory matters, the last seven as a partner of an Am Law 100 law firm's health law practice group.

Chris was an adjunct professor at Widener University School of Law from 2008-2014, where he taught health care finance, and he serves as chairman of the board of The Rock School for Dance Education. He earned his J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law and his B.A. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.