“Andrea and Molly bring more than 30 years of combined experience that will benefit our health care clients immediately,” said Ken Marlow, chair of Waller’s 190-attorney Health Care Department. “We are very excited to be joined by these talented attorneys who understand the challenges that providers face in an increasingly complex business and regulatory environment.”

Andrea Rigali Cunha joins Waller as a partner in the firm’s Austin, Texas office. Cunha is a key member of Waller’s multidisciplinary Health Care Department, with particular emphasis focused on the challenges facing distressed hospitals. Cunha combines years working as a bankruptcy partner in a well-known Florida law firm with hands-on experience at a growing health system, where she took a lead role driving transformative acquisitions and advising on regulatory and operational matters. Cunha negotiated joint ventures for the development of an ambulatory surgery center and the acquisition of two hospitals, while also having responsibility for HIPAA and HITECH Act compliance, contract management, clinical laboratory compliance, CLIA licenses and Medicare and Medicaid provider numbers. She also led a rural health care provider through chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Earlier in her career, Cunha served as General Counsel at a tech startup that successfully monetized a mobile application. She was also the youngest partner ever elected at a Miami bankruptcy and restructuring boutique, where she operated and restructured business organizations in chapter 11 cases. Cunha is licensed in Florida and Texas, two states seeing particularly high rates of health care growth spending. Cunha earned her J.D. from Stetson University College of Law and her MBA from Stetson University in 2007. She earned her B.A. in 2004 from the University of Florida.

Molly A. Huffman joins Waller as a partner working remotely from Virginia. Fully integrated with Waller’s Health Care Department, Huffman is a trusted advisor to hospitals, health systems, behavioral services providers and other health care organizations. Huffman has earned a national reputation for her work related to the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (PSQIA). She has assisted many of the nation’s largest health care systems in the creation and development of Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs), and she continues to help providers expand their participation within various PSOs to foster environments of increased quality and improved patient safety. Additionally, Huffman provides advice regarding hospital safety, security, EMTALA, HIPAA, the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), reporting requirements, electronic health records, risk management, internal investigations, guardianships, judicial authorizations for treatment, scope of practice requirements and other regulatory compliance matters. She also advises health care organizations on medical staff issues ranging from privileging, peer review and disciplinary matters to the revision of medical staff bylaws and staff training. Additionally, Huffman is licensed in Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, and she advises health care clients operating throughout the United States. She earned her J.D. in 2002 from the University of Richmond School of Law. Huffman earned her B.A. in 1999 from the University of Virginia.