W. Reece Hirsch

Reece has experience regarding the California Consumer Privacy Act and has written and spoken extensively on that subject. He edits and contributes to Bloomberg Law’s California Privacy Profile summarizing the state’s privacy and security laws.

Reece counsels clients in healthcare privacy and security matters, such as compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, state medical privacy laws, and Federal Trade Commission standards applicable to digital health companies. He has represented clients from all sectors of the healthcare industry on privacy and security compliance, including health plans, insurers, hospitals, physician organizations, and healthcare information technology, digital health, pharmaceutical, and biotech companies. Reece also advises clients on privacy issues raised by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including those relating to workplace testing, HIPAA waivers and enforcement discretion, contact tracing, telehealth, and work-from-home and return-to-work policies.

Reece is also an experienced healthcare regulatory and transactional attorney, advising healthcare providers and health plans on fraud and abuse, self-referral and licensing matters. He has served as lead transaction counsel on the sale and acquisition of hospitals, medical groups, clinics, and other healthcare organizations. Reece guides clients through corporate matters relating to the formation and ongoing representation of independent practice associations, medical groups, management services organizations, integrated delivery systems, and healthcare technology companies.

The International Association of Privacy Professionals has designated him a Certified Information Privacy Professional.

Reece also served on an advisory group to the California Department of Justice that developed a 2013 policy guide on the detection, prevention, and response to medical identity theft for providers implementing electronic health records systems. He previously served on a similar advisory group to the California Office of Privacy Protection that developed security breach response recommended practices.

Reece is a member of the editorial advisory boards of Healthcare Informatics and Briefings on HIPAA.

In 2009, Nightingale’s selected Reece as an Outstanding Healthcare Information Technology Lawyer.

On a volunteer basis, Reece serves on the board of directors of the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, which has founded and operated the Marial Bai Secondary School and the Alok Girls’ Academy in South Sudan.