Joseph J. Feltes
Partner | Canton
Assistant | Michelle Feller : [email protected]
About Joseph:
I am a healthcare attorney with over 45 years’ experience representing hospitals, physicians, nurses, other providers, suppliers, as well as commercial payers.
Hospital CEOs, CFOs and in-house counsel look to me to handle serious and complex credentialing, competency, and disciplinary matters, and to assist them in successfully navigating through the maze of federal and state regulations. Additionally, I draft common sense medical staff bylaws, policies, and contracts, and often serve as outside general counsel for clients. Physicians and other healthcare providers retain my services to represent them before licensing boards, to draft or review their contracts, and to advise them on a wide range of practice issues.
My clients remain loyal for years and are my best referral source because they trust me to give prompt, practical, and good advice. I will offer the same level of client care and guidance to you for your own unique legal needs.
- Represents physicians and hospitals in compliance, contracting and medical staff issues, including credentialing, corrective action and disruptive physician issues
- Advises companies and individuals on how to avoid liability for social media, email and Internet use, and how to implement retention and disposition policies for electronically stored records
- Represents healthcare providers in antitrust, credentialing, false claims, fraud and abuse and malpractice litigation
- Represents acute care and rehabilitation hospitals, physicians, managed care plans and TPAs, durable medical equipment suppliers and other healthcare providers and suppliers
- Represents employers in discrimination in drafting employee handbooks and compliance policies
- Defends manufacturers and suppliers in product liability cases
- Experienced in HIPAA Privacy
- Experienced in representing physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals before Ohio licensing boards
- Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., cum laude, 1978)
- University of Pittsburgh (M.A., with distinction, 1972)
- John Carroll University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1970)
- Loyola University, Rome, Italy
Admissions
- Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® (2009-2025)
- Named Best Lawyers in America® ‘Lawyer of the Year’ in the Akron area for Health Care Law (2012, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2024)
- Selected for inclusion in Ohio’s Super Lawyers® (2004-2005, 2007, 2010-2024), as voted by his peers
- United Way Gold Key Award for Community Service (2019)
- Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating of AV® Preeminent™, which is the highest possible rating in both legal and ethical standards as established by confidential opinions from members of the Bar
- Recognized as one of the Top Lawyers in Northeastern Ohio in Akron Life Magazine (2009-2018)
- Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Board of Directors/Executive Committee
- Canton Regional Chamber Health Fund (MEWA), Member, Board of Directors
- Pro Football Hall of Fame Centennial Celebration Host Committee, Member
- AultCare Corporation, Vice-Chair, Board of Directors
- AultCare Holding Company, Secretary, Board of Directors
- AultCare Insurance Company, Secretary, Board of Directors
- AultCare Health Insuring Corporation, Secretary, Board of Directors
- American Health Lawyers Association
- Society of Ohio Hospital Attorneys
- Canton Museum of Art, Immediate Past-President, Board of Trustees
- Access Health Stark County, Member, Board of Directors
- Friends of the Summit, Board of Directors
- Pregnancy Support Center, Advisory Board
- Friends of the Summit, Former Chair, Executive Committee
Associations
- American Bar Association
- Health Law and Antitrust Sections
- Ohio State Bar Association
- Health Law Committee
- Stark County Bar Association
Presentations:
- Mr. Feltes speaks on health law, provider compliance, medical staff and problem physician remediation, e-mail and communication issues, HIPAA, and related issues for various organizations and clients throughout the Midwest.
- "Physicians and Social Media: Two Tweets and Call Me in the Morning!" webcast for the Ohio State Bar Association (2016)
- “HIPAA: When you Can Disclose Information to Facilitate Patient Care," Akron General Medical Center's Department of Psychiatry at Northeastern Ohio Medical University (2014)
- “HIPAA 2013 – Meeting Today’s Challenges,” Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging (2013)
- “Contracts – Offers You Can’t Refuse!” Akron General Medical Center Senior Retreat for Residents (2013)
- “Hospital Peer Review Hearing Procedures for Medical Staff,” Akron University School of Law (2013)
- “Email, Text, Blogs & Posts: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly," Aultcare Quick Connect Networking Luncheon (2013)
- “Mental Health Professional's Duty to Warn after Aurora, Sandy Hook, and Chardon," Akron General Grand Rounds (2013)
- “Hospital Hearing Procedures for Hospital Medical Staff," Ohio State Bar Association (2012)
- Webinar: "COBRA Changes Under The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act," Employers Health (2009)
- Moderator: Stark County Medical Society Legislative Forum (2009)
- “Adventures and Misadventures of E-Mail and the Internet,” Bruner-Cox LLP (2008)
- “Physicians Behaving Badly, Jerks, Juveniles, and the Otherwise Impaired,” Akron General Medical Center (2008)
- “HIPAA, the Internet & Beyond,” Northeast Ohio Eye Surgeons (2008)
- “Sarbanes-Oxley In Ohio: Compliance for Health Care Entities,” Lorman Education Services (2006)
- “Bridges to Excellence: Data Collection, Use, and Reporting from a Legal Perspective,” co- sponsors: Employers Health Purchasing Company of Ohio and the Stark County Medical Society (2006)
- “Collateral Consequences for Healthcare Professionals Arising from Criminal Convictions,” Akron Bar Association, Criminal Law Committee (2006)
- “Spam I Am – Not: The Adventures and Misadventures of E-mail and the Internet,” Akron Society for Human Resource Management (2006)
- “Business Ethics for Employers in a Post-Enron World” (2006)
- “The Misadventures of E-mail and the Internet,” Ohio State Bar Association Spring Education Program (2006)
- “Liability for Teachers and School Systems Arising Out of Bad Behavior,” College of Wooster (2006)
- “Liability Concerns for High School and Middle School Coaches” (2006)
- “The Importance of Effective Communication for Preventing Lawsuits,” Northern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (2005)
- “Political and Societal Effects on the Delivery of Healthcare,” Mount Union College (2005)
- "Ohio's Medical Marijuana Law Progresses, but Are Physicians Willing to Recommend?" MD News (2017)
- Co-author "Ohio's Medical Marijuana Law Leaves Doctors Hungry for More Information," MD News (2016)
- "Ohio Court Affirms Need for Doctors to Submit Documentation to be Paid," MD News (2016)
- "Dismantling the Booby Trap," MD News (2016)
- "New provider base rules impact off-campus hospital outpatient departments," MD News (2016)
- Quoted in "Legal Tools Help Artists Protect Their Work," Akron Legal News (2015)
- "Take Two Texts and Tweet Me in the Morning," MD News (2015)
- Quoted in "Adhering to HIPPA in the Age of Smartphones," Akron Legal News (2015)
- "Office of Inspector General Nixes Lab Proposal to Physicians," MD News (2015)
- “Loose Lips Sink Ships,” MD News (2015)
- “State Medical Board Complaint Can Fuel ED Med/Mal Suit, and Vice Versa: Don’t Go It Alone,” ED Legal Letter (2015)
- “Expanding Ohio’s ‘I’m Sorry’ Law,” MD News (2015)
- “OIG Seeks to Expand: Civil Monetary Penalties,” MD News (2014)
- “Ohio Broadens Peer Review Statuses,” MD News (2014)
- “Patient, Heal Thyself?” MD News (2014)
- Author of chapter: “Informal Dispute Resolution and Its Use in Peer Review,” Peer Review Guidebook
- “Giving Physician Recommendations: A Cautionary Tale,” Cleveland/Akron/Canton MD News (2013)
- “New Legal Requirements for Notifying Patients When a Physician’s Employment Ends,” Cleveland/Akron/Canton MD News (2013)
- “HIPAA’s New 563-Page Megarule,” Cleveland/Akron/Canton MD News (2013)
- “Office of Inspector General Issues Advisory Opinion on Per Diem Pay for ED Coverage,” Cleveland/Akron/Canton MD News (2013)
- “Lab Test: Management Proposal Poses Anti-Kickback Risk,” Akron/Canton MD News (2012)
- “The Top 10 List You Don’t Want to Make,” CAkron/Canton MD News (2011)
- “Stimulus Incentives: Look Before You Leap," Cleveland /Akron /Canton M.D. News (2009)
- “Risks Rising for 'Delayed Diagnosis' ED Litigation," ED Legal Letter (2009)
- “Happy 5th Birthday, HIPAA!” Cleveland/Akron/Canton MD News (2008)
- “Discovery of Electronically Stored Information, How Ohio’s Proposed Civil Rules Might Affect Physician Practices,” Akron/Canton MD News (2008)
- “How a Doctor’s Blog Turned His Defense into a Fleabag,” Akron/Canton MD News (2007)
- “Email Communication: Mind Your Mouse,” Ophthalmology Magazine (2006)
- “Pay-for-Performance: A Way for Hospitals to Bond with Their Medical Staffs,” Hospitals & Health Systems Rx (American Health Lawyers Association) (2006)
- “Pay-for-Performance: Giving Your Practice a Shot-In-the-Arm,” MD News (2006)
- “Going Bare?” Ophthalmology Management (2005)
- “Disruptive Physicians: An Alternative to Formal Corrective Action,” The Cleveland Bar Journal (2004)
- “‘I’m Sorry’ – A Prescription for Preventing Malpractice Suits,” MD News (2004)
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