Lauren's practice focuses on advising clients through complex health care transactions and regulatory matters. She has served as health care counsel on numerous private equity and strategic transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, affiliations, and investments involving pharmacies, PBMs, physician practices, long-term care facilities, third party payors, value-based contracting entities, nurse staffing companies, and health care technology firms.
Lauren’s deal work is complimented by her regulatory practice, which primarily focuses on advising pharmacies, PBMs, managed care organizations and other clients in the payor space. Drawing from her experience working for the Federal Coordinated Health Care Office (the “Duals Office”) within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), she is able to provide practical advice to clients on regulatory and compliance issues relating to Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D and Medicaid. She has advised clients on Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D applications, audit appeals, contract negotiations, Medicaid managed care RFPs, and payment issues.
Lauren’s regulatory practice also focuses on compliance with the anti-kickback statute, corporate practice of medicine and fee-splitting prohibitions, telemedicine, and prescribing and licensing requirements (including change of ownership requirements).
Prior to her tenure with CMS, she was a research consultant with a health care consulting company in the DC area, working primarily with state Medicaid agencies and Medicaid managed care plans.
Experience
- Counseled private equity sponsors on health care acquisitions, including fraud and abuse issues, licensure, change of ownership, and payor matters.
- Served as health care regulatory counsel to several banks and lenders in debt financing transactions, including advising on the impact of corporate practice of medicine and other health care regulatory matters on the credit agreement and accompanying deal documents.
- Provided health care regulatory counsel to Cornell Capital in its acquisitions of truestaff and CardioSolution, as well as the acquisitions of various nurse staffing companies by Ingenovis Health.
- Advised national pharmacy chain in multiple specialty pharmacy and long-term care pharmacy acquisitions.
- Advised venture capital and private equity firms on Series C and minority investments in various health care technology firms and value-based contracting entities.
- Represented Sanford Health, a non-profit integrated health delivery system, in its affiliation with The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society (the “Society”), a non-profit long-term care provider. Our representation primarily focused on assisting Sanford in navigating the change of ownership filings for the Society’s licenses and Medicare and Medicaid filings.
- Conducted the due diligence and provided state and federal regulatory research and analysis in connection with TPG’s acquisition of Convey Health Solutions, a specialized health care technology company that provides health plan administration, supplemental benefits administration, and consulting services to health plans.
- Advised a global health care company on a variety of issues in connection with its acquisition of several health plans and provider groups, including health care regulatory due diligence, health care regulatory advice regarding transaction structure and strategy, and preparation of regulatory notices and other filings.
- Served as regulatory counsel to 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). The transaction was recognized by The Deal as the 2018 Private Equity Deal of the Year.
- Advised a consortium of investors led by TPG Capital and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe in their $1.4 billion acquisition of Curo Health Services.
viewpoints
Biden Administration Takes Aim at Rising Drug Prices through its Executive Order on Promoting Competition
July 20, 2021 | Blog | By Theresa Carnegie, Lauren Moldawer
Biden Administration Release Part 1 of its Regulations Targeting Surprise Billing
July 7, 2021 | Blog | By Lauren Moldawer
The provisions of the IFR apply to group health plans, health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage, and carriers in the FEHB Program (collectively, health plans), as well as certain health care facilities. The majority of the requirements in the IRF will be effective January 1, 2022. Below, we outline the major provisions of the IFR.
Bioethics in a Pandemic: Laying the Foundation for the Draft Framework for Equitable Allocation of a COVID-19 Vaccine
September 3, 2020 | Blog | By Bridgette Keller, Lauren Moldawer
CMS Proposes Significant Changes to Medicare Advantage & Part D for 2021 and Beyond, Part 2: CMS Proposes to Codify Supplemental Benefit Rules and Update MLR
February 25, 2020 | Blog | By Tara E. Dwyer, Lauren Moldawer
CMS Proposes Significant Changes to Medicare Advantage & Part D for 2021 and Beyond, Part 1: Updates to the Star Rating System and Suspension of the Past Performance Methodology
February 13, 2020 | Blog | By Tara E. Dwyer, Lauren Moldawer
Health Plan Transparency Rule: Comment Period Ends This Week
January 29, 2020 | Blog | By Lauren Moldawer
The OIG Urges CMS to Implement Solutions to Reduce Fraud in Medicare Part C and Part D
August 1, 2019 | Blog | By Lauren Moldawer
CMS Finalizes Medicare Advantage and Part D Drug Pricing Rule
May 28, 2019 | Blog | By Bridgette Keller, Daryl Berke, Lauren Moldawer
Secretary Azar Addresses Drug Pricing and Care Coordination in AHLA Keynote
March 22, 2019 | Blog | By Lauren Moldawer
Framing his remarks around two key initiatives of the Administration, regulatory reform and affordable healthcare, Secretary Azar promised a bold and swift approach to regulatory reform over the coming years.
Secretary Azar discussed HHS’ initiative known as the “Regulatory Sprint to Coordinated Care,” which we’ve previously discussed on the blog. The agency is undergoing a “comprehensive reexamination of rules that may be impeding coordinated care.” As a “sprint,” he noted the goal is to issue rulemaking to alleviate impediments “as soon as possible.”
As CMS Lifts HHA Medicare Provider Enrollment Moratorium, States Continue to Limit HHA Licenses
February 12, 2019 | Blog | By Lauren Moldawer
News & Press
Mintz Facilitates $3.7 Billion Deal For The Cigna Group
January 31, 2024
Mintz Announces Record Member Growth in 2023
December 22, 2023
4 Pharma Industry Arguments Against CMS Drug Pricing Plan
September 29, 2023
Mintz Advises Kindred at Home in $5.7 Billion Sale to Humana
August 23, 2021
Events & Speaking
Recognition & Awards
Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch - Health Care Law (2024)