On Friday, August 23, 2019, the President signed into law the first major amendments to the United States Bankruptcy Code since 2005. These promise to change the legal landscape for creditors.

The day any enterprise starts contemplating a bankruptcy filing never is a happy one. If the enterprise is in the health care industry, added anxiety can arise over whether it qualifies as a “health care business” under the United States Bankruptcy Code. Among other provisions applicable to a “health care business” in bankruptcy, the Bankruptcy Code requires the appointment of a patient care ombudsman (“PCO”) when a health care business becomes a debtor in a bankruptcy case.