Husch Blackwell welcomes Edward L. Barker to the firm’s Kansas City, Mo., office. Barker joins the Healthcare, Life Sciences & Pharmaceuticals industry team as Senior Counsel, and brings extensive experience having previously served as the senior vice president and chief legal officer of the four-state nonprofit healthcare organization Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System Inc. for more than 25 years.
Barker served as senior vice president and general counsel to SCL Health System (1987-2013), where he supervised all legal, regulatory, insurance, risk management and workers’ compensation matters on behalf of the organization. Overseeing the integrated delivery network, Barker advised on physician and hospital organization, health care mergers and acquisitions, physician acquisition and employment programs, insurance equity organizations, hospital-physician joint ventures, federal and state regulatory guidelines and the formation and operation of a wholly owned health maintenance organization. Prior to joining SCL, Barker practiced with Kansas City-based Mitchell, Kristl & Lieber P.C. (1979-1987).
“We are thrilled to welcome Ed to our team,” said Maurice Watson, chairman of Husch Blackwell LLP. “Ed’s key industry knowledge and expertise helps us to provide exceptional value to our healthcare clients. Because of our firm’s industry focus, we continue to seek out and attract others like Ed, who bring deep industry knowledge to Husch Blackwell that ultimately benefits our clients.”
Barker received his J.D., with honors, from Washburn University School of Law (1979), where he was managing business editor of Washburn Law Journal. He received his bachelor’s degree in business and public administration from Kansas State University (1975).
Husch Blackwell’s Healthcare, Life Sciences & Pharmaceuticals attorneys have extensive experience representing clients in all types of litigation, regulatory enforcement actions and investigations covering all facets of the industry. The firm has developed a national reputation for representing leading hospitals and health systems, academic medical centers, post-acute centers, physicians and other healthcare providers. Its attorneys counsel life sciences investors and research facilities at every phase of their development and implementation cycles. In addition, they advise pharmacies, prescription drug benefit managers, drug manufacturers and other stakeholders in the supply chain to help navigate regulatory obstacles.