Brian Colao
Director
Dykema DSO Industry Group

Brian Colao is the Director of Dykema’s Dental Service Organizations Industry Group. Brian has been in the dental space for nearly 30 years. He is widely regarded as one of the foremost authorities in the United States on DSO formation, DSO business structures, DSO related mergers and acquisitions, and regulatory compliance for DSOs including the corporate practice of dentistry, illegal fee splitting, advertising regulations, laboratory regulations, patient finance regulations, billing regulations, HIPAA regulations, credentialing, permit and licensure regulations, marketing regulations, and labor law regulations affecting dental practices.

Brian specializes in the representation of DSOs nationwide in the following areas:

• • • Creating regulatory compliant business models and conducting ongoing compliance on a broad range of issues applicable to the industry
    • Defending DSOs in all manner of litigation and regulatory actions including State Dental Board Investigations and Complaints, State Attorney General Investigations and Complaints, Federal Investigations and Complaints, and private legal proceedings involving affiliated doctors
    • Assisting Lenders and Private Equity Investors in buying, selling, investing, or lending in the DSO space

In recent years Brian has successfully resolved on behalf of his clients several significant civil and criminal Medicaid fraud investigations and state dental board actions alleging the corporate practice of dentistry, fee splitting and related violations, and he is the “go to” person in the industry for all manner of regulatory issues. Brian has handled some of the most significant transactions in the DSO industry. In recent years Brian has handled hundreds of significant dental transactions on behalf of buyers, sellers, minority investors, and lenders. Brian has developed many of the industry-leading protocols and procedures for conducting due diligence prior to purchasing or extending credit to Dental Service Organizations.

Brian currently has clients in all 50 states and six Canadian provinces, and has appeared before all 50 U.S. dental boards and the territory of Puerto Rico. Brian has handled numerous cases of first impression involving the corporate practice of dentistry and fee-splitting nationwide that resulted in legal opinions that defined and established the law in the DSO industry.

Brian was named a 2019 DSO Influencer by Group Dentistry Now.