Dennis C. Jones, Jr.

“Having spent years inside California’s health care regulatory system, I understand how state agencies approach enforcement matters and what can influence their resolution. That perspective shapes my representation of clients in government matters.” —Dennis C. Jones, Jr.

When California health plans, providers, and other health care organizations are confronting regulatory enforcement actions, complex health care litigation, or everyday compliance challenges, they turn to attorney Denny Jones.

He represents health plans and providers in regulatory proceedings involving California’s Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) and Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), including enforcement actions and administrative hearings; provider/payor payment disputes; and related appellate matters. Beyond litigation, he advises health care organizations on regulatory compliance, licensing, contracting, and Medi-Cal and Medicare program requirements, as well as Knox-Keene Act and HIPAA-related matters, helping clients structure their operations and resolve problems before they escalate.

Before joining Epstein Becker Green from a health plan-focused boutique law firm, Denny spent nearly a decade as government counsel at DHCS, where he managed the agency’s Third-Party Liability litigation caseload; advised on audits, overpayments, and recovery issues; and represented DHCS at administrative hearings. He also developed strategies and arguments in multiple published appellate matters, drafted and reviewed the plan letters and regulations that govern California’s Medi-Cal program, and worked with the California Attorney General’s Office on complex enforcement actions. Earlier in his career, Denny served as Chief of DHCS’s Inmate Medi-Cal Claiming Unit, negotiating contracts with 58 California counties and drafting agreements that secured more than $60 million in federal funding across six inmate reimbursement programs.

Beyond his legal practice, Denny holds a California real estate broker’s license and owns a real estate brokerage through which he assists clients with real estate transactions.

What Denny Delivers for Clients

• Insight from Both Sides of the Table: Whether a health plan is responding to a DHCS or DMHC inquiry or a provider is anticipating how a payor will evaluate a claim, both payor and provider benefit from counsel who has sat on their side of the table. Denny's experience gives him a granular understanding of how these decisions are made, and he uses that insight to help clients build clear, well-timed, and strategically sound responses.
• Efficient Resolution of Provider Payment Disputes: Provider/payor disputes can consume significant time and legal expenditure the longer they remain open. Denny works to resolve these disputes efficiently, using his litigation and negotiation background to reach resolutions that make business sense for the client.
• A Practiced Eye for Fraud and Compliance Risk: Health plans and providers that catch a compliance or fraud issue early can help reduce the risk of more costly consequences later. Denny’s experience drafting and evaluating fraud allegations, audits, and overpayment issues as a state regulator gives him a practiced eye for spotting these issues before they escalate into government investigations.
• Cross-Sector Negotiation Experience: A single agreement can involve very different dynamics depending on whether the other side is a governmental entity or a private company. Denny has negotiated both types, from multi-county government contracts to private commercial deals, giving clients a negotiator equally comfortable in either setting.
• Guidance Clients Can Act Upon: Health plans and providers often need someone who can translate a dense regulatory requirement into a clear next step for their business team. Denny distills complex health care regulations into practical, actionable guidance, helping clients make confident decisions without getting lost in legal language.

Education

• Lincoln Law School of Sacramento (J.D., cum laude, 2015)
• University of California, Davis (B.S., 2000)

Professional & Community Involvement

• American Health Law Association:
  • Health Care Liability and Litigation Practice Group
  • Payers, Plans, and Managed Care Practice Group
• California Lawyers Association, Litigation Section
• California Society for Healthcare Attorneys
• Christian Brothers High School (Sacramento, CA), Alumni Association
• Sacramento County Bar Association, Health Care Law Section