John P. Wagner

John Wagner is a seasoned healthcare lawyer with a broad practice, primarily focusing on healthcare litigation. His practice combines administrative cases before federal and state agencies, and court litigation. Mr. Wagner's strength as a litigator is his creativity and his dedication to mastering the details of a case. He has handled hundreds of Medicare and Medi-Cal cases, including the landmark Redbud Hospital case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, winning millions of dollars for his clients.

These cases have covered the inner workings of hospitals and health systems ranging from soup to nuts, including: control by a parent over affiliate operations, detailed aspects of bond financings, reserve funds, classifications of unused space and unavailable beds at hospitals and nursing facilities, contract interpretation, aspects of Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), treatment of interest by expense and income, challenges to Medicare regulations on a variety of topics and fraud and abuse issues.

Mr. Wagner has an established reputation before numerous state and federal tribunals and agencies as thoroughly professional, completely credible and always fully prepared. As a result, not only has he won virtually all of his cases, but also he has achieved many favorable settlements, including settlements in significant fraud and abuse investigations and cases.

Mr. Wagner completed the American Health Lawyers Association's Alternative Dispute Resolution training program and has served as a mediator in both small and large healthcare disputes. He was recognized by San Francisco magazine as a Northern California "Super Lawyer" in the area of Health Care Law in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 and is also AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

From 1991-1993, Mr. Wagner took a sabbatical from the practice of law to do human rights work in Peru.

Representative Work

Heckler v. Redbud Hospital District

Mayhew Tech. Center Phase Two v. County of Sacramento

Methodist Hospital of Sacramento v. Shalala

St. Elizabeth Community Hospital v. Heckler

Sacramento - Sierra Hospital Group v. BCBSA/Blue Cross of California and Aetna Life Ins. Co.