Ben Runkle and Mel Soliz recently presented “Recent Updates in Health Care Law: What Arizona Lawyers Need to Know” to the State Bar of Arizona. They discussed several fast-moving legal and regulatory developments affecting health care providers, payers, technology companies, and the attorneys who advise them. Topics included public health policy shifts, Medicaid and AHCCCS developments, health data privacy and interoperability, artificial intelligence in health care, fraud and abuse enforcement, and nondiscrimination requirements.

The program highlighted how these developments are creating new compliance, contracting, governance, operational, and litigation risks for health care organizations. Ben addressed key developments in Medicaid, fraud and abuse, the False Claims Act, and other health care regulatory issues, while Mel focused on health data privacy, interoperability, artificial intelligence, and nondiscrimination in digital health care environments.

Together, they provided Arizona lawyers with a practical framework for spotting emerging risk, advising health care clients through regulatory uncertainty, and preparing for continued change across the health care industry in 2026 and beyond.

Ben focuses his practice on regulatory and transactional matters for health care providers, behavioral health organizations, and other health care entities, including compliance and enforcement risk, audits and investigations, contracting, governance, and complex business arrangements across the health care sector.

Mel leads Coppersmith Brockelman’s data interoperability and technology practice, advising clients on federal and state data privacy and interoperability laws, health information networks and exchanges, artificial intelligence, health IT contracting, data-sharing strategy, and complex technology implementation.

Learn more about Ben and Mel.