Mario L. Paniagua-Guzmán

E-mail address:  mlp@mcvpr.com
Phone number:  (787) 250-5660
Fax number:  (787) 759-2728

Mario L. Paniagua is a Capital Member in the Corporate Practice Group and Chairman of the Health Care Practice Area.

Practice Areas

Mr. Paniagua's practice includes consulting in connection with local and federal health-related laws and regulations and negotiation and drafting of management agreements, professional services agreements and assets purchase agreements, among others. Mr. Paniagua participates extensively in certificates of need litigation before the Puerto Rico Health Department.

Education

Mr. Paniagua obtained a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in 1969 from Amherst College and a Juris Doctor in 1974 from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law.

Admissions

Mr. Paniagua is admitted to practice in the Courts of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Puerto Rico District.

Memberships

Mr. Paniagua is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and of the Puerto Rico Hospitals Association. He has chaired the latter's Legislation Committee since 1999. He has been a frequent speaker before the Puerto Rico Hospitals Association, the Puerto Rico Medical Association, and the Puerto Rico Association of Health Services Administrators, among others.

Representative Cases

• Hospital Español Auxilio Mutuo, Proposal No. 94-07-043. The Health Department held for the first time that the hospital beds per population criterion contained in the Certificates of Need Regulation referred to beds in use instead of authorized beds.
• Hospital Episcopal San Lucas v. Hospital Regional de Ponce, Case No. Q-97-0606. The Health Department in a case of first impression held that the term "new health care service" contained in the Certificates of Need Law, referred to any health care service that had not been offered by a health care facility during the preceding twelve months.