
Karen S. Lovitch
(she/her/hers)
Chair, Health Law Practice & Co-Chair, Health Care Enforcement Defense Practice
+1.202.434.7324
Karen draws from her deep health care regulatory knowledge to provide legal and practical business counsel to clients across the health care and life sciences industries. Recognized by a client in Chambers USA as an “absolute star attorney in the area of health care compliance,” Karen applies this foundation when representing clients in state and federal government investigations, transactions, and day to day regulatory and operational matters. She is known and highly regarded for her commitment to providing exceptional client service and her unique ability to guide clients through the complex maze of regulatory and business issues, providing holistic guidance on both to in-house counsel. Karen is Chair of the firm’s Health Law Practice and Co-Chair of the Health Care Enforcement Defense Practice. She is a former member of the Policy Committee.
Karen’s substantial health care regulatory and compliance background includes advising clients on matters pertaining to the federal anti-kickback statute, the Stark law, state statutes prohibiting kickbacks and self-referrals, Medicare and Medicaid program requirements, the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA), the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, and state licensure laws. She routinely works with clients to develop and implement health care compliance programs in order to avoid the government spotlight, oversees internal investigations, and advises clients on the legal, practical, and fraud and abuse implications of business arrangements and sales and marketing practices.
In the transactional context, Karen serves as health care regulatory counsel to clients across the industry, including private equity firms and other investors, in mergers, acquisitions, and other transactional matters. Karen has led many complex due diligence projects involving health care companies in a vast array of industry areas, including behavioral health, laboratories, diagnostic companies, hospice and home health providers, and benefit management companies, to name a few.
In addition to counseling health care and life sciences entities on regulatory matters arising in connection with transactions, Karen represents clients subject to federal False Claims Act investigations and qui tam litigation, state investigations involving false claims/insurance fraud, state and federal surveys and inspections, and state licensure proceedings. Her extensive experience representing clients in high-stakes government investigations has involved the negotiation and structuring of settlement agreements with the US Department of Justice and its US Attorneys’ Offices and state Attorneys’ General Offices, as well as corporate integrity agreements with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. In the negotiation of a recent significant settlement on behalf of a client with several US Attorneys’ offices and the Department of Justice, Karen successfully negotiated no admission of liability or implementation of a corporate integrity agreement.
Karen also specializes in the representation of laboratories and diagnostics companies. She regularly counsels on compliance with CLIA and state laboratory licensure laws, federal and state limitations on billing for diagnostic services, and legal restrictions on sales and marketing activities. Karen has served as regulatory counsel in a number of mergers and acquisitions involving laboratories and diagnostics companies and has represented numerous laboratories and diagnostics companies in state and federal government investigations.
She is a frequent author and speaker on regulatory and compliance issues confronting the industry, and editor of the firm’s Health Care Viewpoints.
Experience
Transactions
- Served as health care regulatory counsel to TPG Capital in its new partnership with existing investors, Summit Partners and Silversmith Capital Partners, to back outpatient behavioral health services provider, LifeStance Health.
- Served as health care regulatory counsel to Kindred Healthcare, a specialty hospital company focused on acute care, and private equity firm TPG Capital in the sale of Kindred Healthcare to national health services provider LifePoint Health, launching the combined company ScionHealth.
- Advised a consortium of investors led by TPG Capital and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe in their $4.1 billion acquisition of Kindred Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:KND) and their $1.4 billion acquisition of Curo Health Services. The Kindred Healthcare transaction was recognized by The Deal as the 2018 Private Equity Deal of the Year.
- Provided health care regulatory advice to Myriad Genetics, a Nasdaq-listed molecular diagnostics company, in its acquisition of Assurex Health, an informatics-based precision medicine company.
- Served as health care regulatory counsel to Miraca Life Sciences, Inc., in the sale of the company to Avista Capital Partners.
Investigations
- Negotiated the settlement of a five-year False Claims Act investigation conducted by multiple U.S. Attorney’s Offices and DOJ’s Civil Division on behalf of a national health care provider. We successfully convinced the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services not to pursue a Corporate Integrity Agreement.
- Represented a national health care provider in a False Claims Act investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The government ultimately declined to intervene, and the relator chose to voluntarily dismiss the case.
- Counseled a specialty laboratory regarding whether and how to make a self-disclosure related to a Medicare overpayment and met with the U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding the self-disclosure, which did not lead to further investigation or enforcement action.
- Served as lead counsel to two national independent laboratories in a federal investigation of violations of the federal False Claims Act based on billing and sales/marketing practices as well as quality of care allegations. The government filed a notice of non-intervention, and the parties reached a settlement through mediation favorable to the laboratories.
- Represented a national health care provider in a False Claims Act investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio. Following the government’s declination, the court dismissed the case upon the provider’s motion and refused to allow the relator to amend his complaint a second time.
viewpoints
Health Law Diagnosed – EnforceMintz – Part 2: DOJ Regulatory and Policy Update
April 25, 2023 | Podcast | By Bridgette Keller, Eoin Beirne, Karen Lovitch , Brian Dunphy
Health Law Diagnosed – EnforceMintz: Analyzing Health Care False Claims Act Cases
April 18, 2023 | Podcast | By Bridgette Keller, Karen Lovitch , Brian Dunphy, Eoin Beirne
EnforceMintz: False Claims Act Statistical Year in Review — A Study in Contrasts
February 27, 2023 | Article | By Kevin McGinty
CMS Proposes New Disclosure of Ownership Regulations for Nursing Facilities - Top Five Takeaways for Private Equity Firms and REITs
February 21, 2023 | Blog | By Lauren Moldawer, Karen Lovitch
EnforceMintz — With Telemedicine Here to Stay, Enforcement Agencies Continued their Scrutiny
February 9, 2023 | Blog | By Karen Lovitch
Analyzing Health Care False Claims Act Cases
February 9, 2023 | Article | By Karen Lovitch , Brian Dunphy, Grady Campion, Kathryn Edgerton, Cory S. Flashner, Samantha Kingsbury, Kevin McGinty
EnforceMintz Newsletter — Quick Hits
February 9, 2023 | Blog | By Karen Lovitch
Mintz Health Law: What We Are Grateful For
January 11, 2023 | Podcast | By Bridgette Keller
OIGs Report on Expanded Telehealth Service Access and Use, Program Integrity Risks During Year One of COVID-19 Pandemic
December 21, 2022 | Blog | By Karen Lovitch , Pat Ouellette, Sophia Temis
New York Office of Medicaid Inspector General Proposes Regulations on Self-Disclosure Program
September 26, 2022 | Blog | By Karen Lovitch , Jean D. Mancheno, Cody Keetch
News & Press
Mintz Forms Pioneering Women’s Health & Technology Practice
March 09, 2023
Mintz Debuts 'Femtech' Practice For Life Science Clients
March 9, 2023
Mintz Appoints New Health Care And Enforcement Defense Leadership
January 18, 2023
DOJ Crackdown on Genetic Testing Telefraud
August 15, 2022
Mintz Advises Kindred Healthcare in Sale to LifePoint Health, Launching ScionHealth
December 23, 2021
Healthcare Enforcement & Litigation 2022
August 27, 2021
How New Kickback Rules Benefit Health Care Industry: Part 1
December 18, 2020
How New Kickback Rules Benefit Health Care Industry: Part 2
December 18, 2020
CMS Publishes Proposed 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
August 24, 2020
Mintz Practice Groups and Attorneys Garner Top Rankings in 2020 Edition of The Legal 500 United States
June 12, 2020
TPG Invests in Behavioral Health Firm LifeStance
April 20, 2020
2019 Trends In DOJ Civil Health Care Fraud Cases
January 15, 2020
Hospitals’ Risk May Rise as Anti-Fraud Proposal Narrows Loophole
October 25, 2019
Mintz Recognized by Chambers USA 2019
April 26, 2019
Antiopioid Law Could Criminalize Sales Commissions for Clinical Lab Patient Referrals
April 18, 2019
AHLA Health Care Compliance Legal Issues Manual
March 5, 2019
Chambers USA 2018 Ranks Mintz Attorneys & Practices
May 03, 2018
Private Equity FCA Suit More Likely Outlier Than Omen
March 16, 2018
Laboratory Economics' PAMA Teleconference Highlights
February 19, 2018
2017 Health Care Enforcement Review: Final Thoughts
January 19, 2018
Labs Wage Legal Fights Over Fees, Medical Necessity Checks
November 14, 2017
Leader of Mintz Health Law Practice Karen Lovitch to Speak at 2017 G2 Intelligence Lab Institute Conference
October 11, 2017
Mintz’s Health Law Practice Recognized Among Industry Leaders in Annual BTI Power Rankings
August 17, 2017
New Safe Harbor Allows Labs to Provide Patient Transport
February 28, 2017
Health Care Enforcement Review And 2017 Outlook: Part 4
January 19, 2017
Health Care Enforcement Review And 2017 Outlook: Part 3
January 18, 2017
Health Care Enforcement Review And 2017 Outlook: Part 2
January 17, 2017
Lab Institute 2016 Recap
November 8, 2016
Lesson from RML's $1.1 Million Settlement: Beware of Carve-Outs and Pull-Through Arrangements
October 18, 2016
Mintz Represents Myriad Genetics in Acquisition of Assurex Health
September 08, 2016
CMS finalizes lab fee schedule changes: 5 key takeaways
June 21, 2016
What Is The Anti-Kickback Statute?
January 1, 2015
Events & Speaking
Health Care Fraud Enforcement Developments and Whistleblower Avoidance
G2 Lab Institute: Advancing the Profession of Diagnostic Medicine
Virtual Event

Can We Do This? Avoiding Marketing and Business Development Compliance Pitfalls
REDC Member Meeting
InterContinental Minneapolis

Telehealth Regulation & Enforcement: 2021 Year in Review & 2022 Outlook
Mintz & ML Strategies
Online Event

Reducing Patient Leakage by Directing Physician Referrals, AKS Safe Harbors, and Stark Law Exceptions
Strafford
Online Event

HHS’s Holiday Gift to the Health Care Industry: Historic Changes to the Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law Regulations
View the Webinar Recording

Received COVID-19 Funding? How to Mitigate and Respond to Enforcement Risks and Government Actions
View the Webinar Recording

Executive War College on Lab and Pathology Management
Current Issues in Clinical Lab and Pathology Law, Compliance, Managed Care Contracting, and More
Sheraton New Orleans
Laboratory & Pathology Management
Executive War College
Sheraton New Orleans 500 Canal St. New Orleans, LA 70130
American Clinical Laboratory Association 2018 Annual Meeting
American Clinical Laboratory Association
Washington, DC
Medicare's Market-Based Payment Startup: Strategic Options & Compliance Red Flags for Labs
Laboratory Economics
Webinar
Trends in Enforcement and Regulatory Guidance - What Should be on Your AKS Radar?
The American Bar Association
Webinar
Hot Topics in Laboratory Compliance
American Health Lawyers Association
Hilton Baltimore Hotel, Baltimore, MD
Publications
- Co-author, What Is...The Anti-Kickback Statute?, Second Edition, Published by the American Bar Association (2022)
Recognition & Awards
- Included on the Washington DC Super Lawyers: Health Care list (2017 – 2023)
- Chambers USA: District of Columbia – Healthcare (2014 – 2023)
- Recognized by The Legal 500 United States for Healthcare: Service Providers (2014 – 2022)
- Phi Beta Kappa
- Best Lawyers in America: Health Care Law (2021 – 2023)
Involvement
- Membership Committee, The Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation
- Board Member, DC KinCare Alliance
- Board Member, DC SCORES (2013 – 2016)
- Board Member, Suited for Change (2007 – 2010)
- Foster Parent, Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue

Karen S. Lovitch
(she/her/hers)