Rachel O. Poynter
Associate

The best part about my practice is collaborating with healthcare providers to navigate the ever-changing regulatory landscape, to find effective and efficient solutions to identified problems, and most importantly to proactively identify issues before they become future problems.

Rachel Poynter focuses her practice on helping healthcare providers navigate operational issues, structure deals, maintain compliance and mitigate risk within complex regulatory frameworks. Her client list includes hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, physician and dental practices, home health and long-term care providers, laboratories, and other ancillary providers. Rachel is Board Certified in Health Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Rachel serves as outside general counsel for many of her clients, advising on matters such as federal and commercial reimbursement and appeals, audits and investigations, licensure issues, vendor contracting, entity structuring and much more. She also helps clients develop and maintain compliance with federal and state laws, particularly the Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute, HIPAA and other privacy laws. In addition, Rachel plays a key role in clients’ healthcare transactions, whether she’s structuring the entire deal or advising the firm’s transactional team on critical regulatory issues.

Before joining Gray Reed, Rachel served as the compliance and privacy officer of four physician-owned hospitals. Additionally, as a consultant, she aided a hospital in navigating the compliance aspects of a physician/hospital co-management agreement.

Representative Experience

Transactional Matters

  • Represented a court-appointed receiver for 125 assisted living and memory-care facilities, including the sale and transition of thirteen facilities in six states, for a cumulative deal value of over $20,000,000.
  • Represented a Dallas-based medical practice in the sale of its assets to affiliates of one of the largest national health insurance companies.
  • Represented a third-party administrator in the buyout of its partner in a 50/50 joint venture management company, as well as the acquisition of the membership interest in an affiliated non-profit health organization.
  • Represented a multi-state home health provider in connection with the acquisition of Maryland and Florida home health agencies.
  • Represented a client in the sale of 80% of its radiation therapy centers located in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri to a newly created joint venture entity co-owned with a national company for $52,000,000 and a development arrangement with the joint venture valued at $600,000 per year.
  • Represented a client in the financing and acquisition of an acute care hospital with Critical Access Hospital designation and adjoining Medical Office Building.  The hospital is the sole hospital located in the North Central Texas county where it is located.
  • Represented a client in the financing and acquisition of 6 Freestanding Emergency Departments (“FSEDs”) located throughout the State of Texas from a Federal Bankruptcy Court proceeding for $9,970,000.
  • Represented a behavioral health provider in complex corporate reorganization and restructuring.
  • Represented a facility operator in private offering of membership interests in assisted living facility operating entity and real estate investment entity.
  • Represented various physician practices in asset and stock transactions, including sales to national healthcare systems.
  • Represented a client in the financing and acquisition of a well-established 7 location restaurant chain located in Illinois for $16,060,000.

Operational and Regulatory Matters

  • Represented various clients through investigations of PHI disclosures, performance of risk assessments and reporting process/media notice.
  • Successfully negotiated a settlement resulting in no repayment of funds on behalf of a Dallas-based medical clinic in connection with an alleged overpayment.
  • Represented a physician-owned hospital in successful application for waiver of emergency department requirement by Texas Department of State Health Services.
  • Represented various nonprofit health organizations in formation and certification of entity by Texas Medical Board.
  • Represented a variety of providers in completion of Medicare and Medicaid provider enrollment and revalidation, change of ownership, and opt-out.
  • Represented individual physicians and group practices in matters involving recruitment, employment, delegation and prescriptive authority, call coverage, and professional service arrangements.
  • Represented a group purchasing organization in operational and contracting matters.
  • Represented a variety of clients in creation, implementation and evaluation of compliance programs and policies.
Thought Leadership / News
Honors
  • Named a Rising Star by Texas Super Lawyers (a Thomson Reuters company) as published in Texas Monthly and Texas Super Lawyers magazines (2022 - 2024)
  • Selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America "Ones to Watch" in the fields of Corporate Governance (2023 - 2025), Compliance Law (2023 - 2025) and Healthcare Law (2025)
Organizational Involvement
  • American Health Law Association
  • Dallas Bar Association
  • Dallas Women Lawyers Association
  • Texas Bar Association
  • Texas Health Lawyers Association
Education
  • J.D., cum laude, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law (2016)
  • B.A., magna cum laude, Psychology, Auburn University (2013)
Bar Admission
  • Texas (2016)
When I Feel Most At Home
  • Cheering on the Auburn Tigers - War Eagle!
  • Traveling with my husband and daughter
  • Always finding an excuse to spend time outdoors