The firm was awarded “Healthcare Firm of the Year” by Global M&A Network during its 2024 M&A Atlas Awards. The team was also awarded “M&A Deal of the Year” for representing VillageMD in its $8.9 billion acquisition of Summit Health-CityMD, as well as “Private Equity Deal of the Year” for representing Los-Angeles based investment firm Corbel Capital Partners (Corbel) in its formation of and investment in Premier Plastic Surgery Partners, LLC.
On top of the Healthcare team’s recognition, partner Chi Huynh was individually awarded the “Rising Star Dealmaker” award, which honors “brilliant and exceptional young dealmakers from the North and South American private equity, growth investing, lending, M&A and restructuring transactional communities for their achievements, dedication and talents for closing transactions.”
The M&A Atlas Awards honor the best North and South American deals, firms and dealmakers in the corporate, investor and transactional sectors, and are considered the “Gold Standard of Performance” for M&A work.
M&A Deal of the Year, Large Deal Category
Recognized in the “Large Deal Category,” the VillageMD and Summit Health-CityMD merger, led by Healthcare team leader Eric Klein, creates one of the largest independent provider groups in the United States. The acquisition included investments from Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) and Evernorth, a subsidiary of Cigna Corporation. The firm led the merger transaction, as well as the antitrust and healthcare regulatory work for VillageMD.
The combined company will have more than 680 locations in 26 markets, including Summit Health’s multi-state, multi-specialty medical groups and CityMD’s network of urgent care centers, and will leverage VillageMD’s expertise in value-based care to support and accelerate the transition to more risk-based care. The firm also represented VillageMD on its commercial risk-based strategic alliance with Evernorth, a core element of Cigna’s investment in VillageMD.
Private Equity Deal of the Year, Low- Mid-Market Category
Recognized as “Private Equity Deal of the Year,” Corbel’s investment in Premier Plastic Surgery Partners, LLC, will create the nation’s first-ever platform for plastic and facial plastic surgeons. Premier Plastic Surgery Partners, LLC, is a company comprised of leading board-certified plastic and facial plastic surgeon practices that aim to bring a novel physician-centric approach to physicians looking to reduce risk, grow their practice and strengthen their legacy. Healthcare partners Aytan Dahukey and Chi Huynh led the deal team advising Corbel in the investment.
Rising Star Dealmaker
Chi Huynh, a partner and member of the Healthcare industry team, is also the corporate lead of the firm’s Women in Healthcare Leadership Collaborative. She represents physician groups, independent physician associations, hospitals and hospital-affiliated foundations, non-profit health foundations, pharmacies and other healthcare entities in mergers and acquisitions, operational and contracting matters, and general corporate counsel matters. She identifies and addresses complex healthcare-related regulatory issues, including information privacy, corporate practice of medicine, anti-kickback and federal Stark issues.
Huynh and the Healthcare team were presented with their awards on January 30, 2024, during the M&A Atlas Awards 15th Annual Gala at the Metropolitan Club of New York.
With 230 attorneys across the country, Sheppard Mullin’s Healthcare industry team has advised on 18 hospital purchase and sale transactions over the last 18 months and forecasts more on the horizon. The firm continues to bolster capabilities to provide clients with a full-service hospital and health service solution, including healthcare antitrust, regulatory, real estate, technology transactions and digital health/AI, labor and employment, non-profit governance, tax and physician alignment. Named a “Health Law Practice Group of the Year” by Law360 three times in the last 10 years, the team has also been recognized by Chambers USA, Legal 500 U.S., the Daily Journal, LA Business Journal and other publications. In addition, Healthcare team leader Eric Klein was named a 2023 “Health Care MVP” by Law360.