Today business law firm Garvey Schubert Barer announced the addition of five attorneys to its Healthcare Practice Group. The recent additions are Sandra T. Johnson and Jessica M. Belle, who are based in the Seattle office; Barbra Z. Nault, who is based in the Anchorage office; Maurice W. Heller, who is based in the New York City office; and Rachael A. Ream, Ph.D., who will be based in both Seattle and Portland.
The latest addition to the group, Rachael A. Ream, Ph.D., was previously with Jones Day, where she represented clients on a broad array of compliance and regulatory matters, including government investigations and qui tam actions, defense of Medicare fraud and abuse accusations, medical necessity, Antikickback and Stark Law compliance, false claims, HIPAA and HITECH compliance, and corporate governance. She has extensive experience conducting compliance risk assessments for pharmaceutical and device manufacturers as well as negotiating, reviewing and drafting strategic supply management, equipment leasing, and purchase agreements. Ms. Ream has represented hospitals and health systems in strategic transactions, such as hospital mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and physician contracting matters, including co-management arrangements, physician recruitment, employment and medical director agreements, and hospital-based physician agreements. Prior to graduating magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from Case Western Reserve University, School of Law,Ms. Ream earned a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University.
According to Stephen Rose, Chair of the Healthcare Practice Group at Garvey Schubert Barer, “We are thrilled to continue the expansion of our Healthcare Law Section of the firm with the addition of such an exceptional attorney.”
Sandy Johnson (Seattle) practices in the area of healthcare regulatory law. Ms. Johnson brings a unique perspective to her health law practice, having significant management experience in the healthcare industry prior to beginning her legal career. The former CEO of a hospital, she also served in senior management positions with long-term care, home health and assisted living providers. As a member of Garvey Schubert’s healthcare practice, Ms. Johnson counsels hospitals and hospital systems, long-term care providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, retail pharmacies, physician practices and other healthcare organizations on a broad range of federal and state regulatory issues in the context of operational compliance and corporate transactions.
Barbra Nault, who is based in the Anchorage office, focuses her legal practice on healthcare business and corporate transactions, employment law and business litigation. Ms. Nault regularly advises healthcare clients on business formation and organization, regulatory compliance, and commercial and secured transactions. She also counsels clients in oil and gas regulatory matters and serves as outside general counsel for a number of small to mid-sized companies in Alaska. Ms. Nault has substantial experience litigating complex disputes, with a special emphasis on commercial and employment matters.
Maury Heller’s practice focuses on healthcare, healthcare litigation, commercial litigation, not-for-profit corporations, long-term care and insurance coverage issues. He has over 28 years of experience, and, for 20 of those years, he was Partner at Heller, Horowitz & Feit, P.C. Before that, Maury served as an associate at Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler and Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts. Maury has trial and appellate practice in both federal and state courts, commercial arbitrations and administrative proceedings before government agencies. Maury serves as an arbitrator for the National Health Lawyers Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Service.
Jessica Belle’s practice focuses primarily on the healthcare industry. While in law school, she served as a research assistant for articles assessing proposals for improving care delivered at emergency departments and how states are implementing provisions of the Affordable Care Act. In collaboration with a physician and fellow law student, Jessica published an article in Clinical Gastroenterology & Hepatology discussing internet liability for gastroenterologists. Prior to attending law school, Jessica received a Master of Science in Bioethics with a concentration in Clinical Ethics from Union Graduate College and Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
About Garvey Schubert Barer
Garvey Schubert Barer is a business law firm representing established market leaders and newly launched enterprises, nationally and internationally, with a special focus on healthcare. The firm’s healthcare clients include public, tax-exempt and for-profit healthcare organizations throughout the western United States, including hospitals (including rural and critical access hospitals), long-term care facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, physicians and physician organizations, imaging facilities, local and national clinical laboratory and pathology companies, genomic laboratories, dialysis companies, alternative healthcare providers, hospital associations, medical device manufacturers, third-party payers and integrated delivery systems. The firm’s healthcare litigation experiences includes Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement; response to government audits; professional liability defense; The full spectrum of federal, state and local tax controversies and appeals; abuse and neglect; HIPAA; contractual disputes; defense of qui tam and governmental investigative actions; immigration; labor and employment; and certificate of need. Based on its extensive experience and expertise over a wide spectrum of healthcare law, Garvey Schubert Barer is considered one of the top-tier law firms serving healthcare clients in the western United States. The firm has offices in Seattle, Portland, Anchorage, Washington, D.C., New York and Beijing. For more information, please see http://www.gsblaw.com.
