User:Kathleenkcameron/American Health Lawyers Association

The American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA) is a non-profit educational organization devoted to legal issues in the healthcare field with more than 10,000 members. The AHLA was created on July 1, 1997, when the National Health Lawyers Association (NHLA) and the American Academy of Healthcare Attorneys (AAHA) combined into a single organization. Currently 38 staff members are responsible for the operational activities of the organization, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

The mission of the American Health Lawyers Association is to provide a collegial forum for interaction and information exchange to enable its members to serve their clients more effectively; to produce the highest quality nonpartisan educational programs, products, and services concerning health law issues; and to serve as a public resource on selected healthcare legal issues.

AHLA is governed by a Board of 28 members, chosen from among the membership of the organization. The AHLA is currently led by Peter M. Leibold, Executive Vice President. The Board of Directors meets twice a year in person. The Board also meets several times a year by telephone conference. Board members serve on the following Committees: Nominating, Public Interest, Membership, Finance, Programs, Practice Groups, and Publications. An Executive Committee composed of 10 members meets 4-6 times a year in person and by telephone conference.

Society of Hospital Attorneys
The roots of AHLA can be traced back to 1967 when the American Hospital Association (AHA) decided to start an association for hospital attorneys who desired a forum to communicate about healthcare issues. Through the work of attorney David J. Greenburg, the Society of Hospital Attorneys was created as a division of the AHA. At the time, only attorneys who represented AHA member hospitals were eligible to join the Society. Monthly legal bulletins, educational programs and an annual meeting were among the first achievements of the Society. The Society subsequently grew and underwent several name changes: from the American Society of Hospital Attorneys to finally the American Academy of Healthcare Attorneys (the “Academy”). The final name change took place in 1983 to emphasize its professional status and to distinguish itself from the trade associations (called “Societies”) with the AHA. The Academy ultimately grew to a membership of 3,300 attorneys, approximately one-third of whom were in-house counsel. The Academy remained a component of the AHA until it combined with the National Health Layers Association in 1997.

National Health Lawyers Association
After leaving the Society of Hospital Attorneys, David Greenburg organized another group of attorneys working for health insurance plans. The National Health Lawyers Association (NHLA) was formed in 1971 as a nonprofit educational organization that was initially associated with the Group Health Association of America, a predecessor organization to today’s America’s Health Insurance Plans. The membership in the NHLA was somewhat broader than that in the Academy and included health attorneys who represented the entire spectrum of the healthcare industry, including hospital, physicians, managed care organizations, home health agencies, long term care facilities. Over time, the NHLA grew to over 7,000 members producing educational programs and publications, including the Health Law Digest.

American Health Lawyers Association
Beginning in 1996, leaders of both the Academy and the NHLA began talks on merging the two organizations and on July 1, 1997, the NHLA and the Academy merged. At first the combined organization was called the NHLA/AAHA, but in 1998, the name was changed to the American Health Lawyers Association.