Blane R. Markley
Overview
Blane Markley is a Partner at Spencer Fane, advising hospitals, health systems, physician groups, and investors on complex health care transactions and regulatory strategy.
His practice sits at the intersection of deal execution and regulatory risk. He helps organizations structure and close transactions, navigate compliance obligations, and manage operational exposure across the full lifecycle of health care enterprises.
Blane’s focus includes: health system and physician group transactions, hospital and provider joint ventures, regulatory and reimbursement strategy, corporate governance and compliance, and health care operational and contractual risk.
Clients rely on Blane in high-stakes situations where business objectives and regulatory constraints collide. He is known for practical, business-driven counsel, clear risk assessment, and decisive problem-solving.
In addition to his client work, Blane serves in firm leadership and mentoring roles, with an emphasis on developing early-career attorneys and building high-performing teams.
He values long-term client relationships, direct communication, and solutions that are both legally sound and commercially realistic.
Credentials
Education
- University of Kansas School of Law, 2006 (J.D.)
- University of Kansas, 2002 (M.B.A.)
- Avila University, 1997 (B.A.)
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, 2007
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
- Represented health system in the negotiation and development of joint ventures for the development of new psychiatric hospitals.
- Represented health system in the development of new psychiatric hospitals.
- Represented health system in the negotiation and development of transactions involving ambulatory surgical centers (multiple matters).
- Represented large medical group in the negotiation and execution of a sale to a subsidiary of a publicly traded corporation.
- Represented health system in the development of an off-campus emergency department serving a rural community.
- Represented health system in the acquisition of ambulatory surgical center.
- Represented medical group in the negotiation and development of integrated relationship with health system.
- Represented governmental hospital in the development of a solution to allow for the expansion of services to additional communities.
- Represented physicians in the formation of Accountable Care Organization in a major metropolitan area.
- Represented medical group in successful defense of antitrust claims.
- Represented hospital in medical staff fair hearing and related appeals.
- Represented physician in medical staff fair hearing and obtained a recommendation in favor of client at fair hearing and appellate levels.
- Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers, 2012-2017
- Ingram’s Magazine, 40 Under Forty
- American Health Law Association
- Missouri Society of Health Care Attorneys
- Kansas Association of Hospital Attorneys
- Greater Kansas City Society of Health Care Attorneys
- Missouri Bar Association
- Kansas Bar Association
- Johnson County Bar Association
- Avila University Board of Counselors
- Rotary International, Lee’s Summit Sunrise Club, Lee’s Summit, Missouri
- “Legal Issues Roundtable Discussion,” Kansas Hospital Association, November 2025
- “Legal Issues Challenging Hospital Boards,” Missouri Hospital Association, June 2024
- “EMTALA and Behavioral Health Patients in the ER,” Kansas Hospital Association, May 2023
- “HIPAA and Health Information,” County Counselors Association of Kansas, October 2022
- “Legal Issues Challenging Hospital Boards,” Kansas Hospital Association (Hospital Trustees), September 2022
- “Back to the Future: A Simple, Yet Audacious, Plan to Save Your Hospital and Your Community,” Missouri Hospital Association, November 2022
- “Legal Issues Challenging Hospital Boards,” Kansas Hospital Association, December 2021
- “Marketing: Caveats for Health Care Providers,” Kansas Association of Health Care Communicators (KAHCC), June 2021
- “CARES Act: Compliance Requirements,” Kansas Hospital Association Virtual Roundtable Discussion, October 2020
- “Marketing: Compliance Practices for Hospice and Home Health,” Missouri Hospital Association, November 2017
- “HIPAA Privacy and Security Training,” training video prepared for Johnson County Manager’s Office, 2017
- “Pressing Legal Issues for Physician Practices,” American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), Kansas City Chapter, October 2016
- “A Tale of Two Peer Review Proceedings – Process Makes Perfect,” National Association of Medical Staff Services (NAMSS), July 2016
- “EMTALA: Avoiding an Enforcement Emergency,” Trauma Conference, July 2014