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Samantha P. Kingsbury

Of Counsel

[email protected]

+1.617.348.1829

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Samantha’s practice focuses on a wide array of federal, state, and administrative health care enforcement defense matters. She defends health care companies and providers in investigations conducted by the US Department of Justice and/or its US Attorneys’ Offices, which are often initiated by qui tam complaints filed under the federal False Claims Act.  Samantha also represents clients in investigations and audits conducted by federal and state enforcement and administrative agencies, including state Offices of the Attorney General.  She also structures and executes internal investigations stemming from government inquiries, as well as potential compliance issues identified by clients. 

In addition, Samantha advises clients regarding compliance with the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, the Stark Law, and the False Claims Act, among other state and federal statutes and regulations. Samantha also has experience preparing self-disclosures and other reports relating to such enforcement matters, as well as developing internal compliance programs.

In addition to enforcement defense matters, Samantha handles licensure, reimbursement, and regulatory matters for a variety of health care clients.

Samantha is actively involved in pro bono matters at Mintz and previously served on the firm’s Pro Bono Committee. She manages the firm’s participation in the Lawyers Clearinghouse Legal Clinic for the Homeless, through which Mintz attorneys provide legal representation to residents of Boston-area homeless shelters. She also represents a wide variety of clients seeking pro bono services.  

Before joining Mintz, Samantha completed a fellowship as a Special Assistant District Attorney for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.

 

Experience

  • Represented a diagnostics company in a national criminal and civil investigation involving multiple US Attorneys’ Offices and state Attorneys' General Offices. The investigation involved alleged kickback issues and billing violations with respect to the Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE programs, among other federal health care programs.
  • Represented specialty laboratories in False Claims Act investigations in connection with the payment of processing and handling fees for specimen collection.
  • Represented a large physician practice in several investigations, including alleged violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act violations stemming from medically unnecessary procedures.
  • Conducted internal investigations of several health care providers and prepared self-disclosures to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
  • Represented several clinical laboratories in administrative proceedings, opposing loss of CLIA certification and the imposition of the two-year owner/operator ban.
  • Successfully opposed the OIG’s proposed exclusion of a physician from participation in federal health care programs.
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viewpoints

Supreme Court Justices Agree to Hear Second FCA Issue This Term

January 19, 2023 | Blog | By Samantha Kingsbury, Kevin McGinty

As many of our readers are likely aware, last week the Supreme Court agreed to hear a second False Claims Act (FCA) issue this term. Having previously accepted and heard argument on a case concerning the government’s authority to dismiss an FCA whistleblower case after declining to intervene, the Court has now granted certiorari to hear two cases addressing what constitutes a “knowing” violation of the FCA. Hanging in the balance is the fate of two lower court decisions that endorsed a powerful defense to FCA liability.
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Mintz Health Law: What We Are Grateful For

January 11, 2023 | Podcast | By Bridgette Keller

Bridgette Keller speaks with the Mintz Health Law team about what they are grateful for as they look back on a year of client service, mentorship, and working together as a team.
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The head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Dr. Robert Califf, announced on August 30, 2022 that, in addition to an extensive review of opioid regulations, the agency is launching a framework aimed at preventing overdose-related deaths.  Commissioner Califf previously committed to leading a review of opioid regulations during his December 2021 confirmation hearing, in response to repeated questions from Senators regarding FDA’s response to the ongoing opioid epidemic and broader public criticism of the agency’s historical actions in the space.  The commitment to regulatory review also follows criticism FDA has received over the years for approving OxyContin in 1995 and many other addictive opioid drugs since then without requiring more thorough warning labels and other protections that could help combat misuse and over-prescribing.
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Last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced another significant takedown that it described as “build[ing] on the success of the May 2021 COVID-19 Enforcement Action.”  As part of this enforcement effort, criminal charges were announced against 21 defendants across the country for their alleged involvement in various COVID-19 related fraud schemes that resulted in over $149 million in “COVID-19 related false billings to federal programs and theft from federally-funded pandemic assistance programs.” 
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Webinar Recording: Health Care Enforcement Year in Review & 2022 Outlook

February 16, 2022 | Webinar | By Grady Campion, Randy Jones, Samantha Kingsbury, Karen Lovitch, Kevin McGinty

In our annual webinar, Mintz’s Health Care Enforcement Defense team reviewed the key health care fraud enforcement developments and trends from 2021, assessed their likely impact in 2022, and provided recommendations to avoid government scrutiny.
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In our annual Health Care Enforcement Year in Review & Outlook report, we examine the data and explore health care enforcement trends and likely targets of government scrutiny for 2022 and beyond.
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In a decision issued late last week, the First Circuit has adopted a deferential standard for review of government decisions to seek dismissal of whistleblower lawsuits brought under the False Claims Act (FCA). The court held that so long as the government explains its decision and provides the whistleblower with an opportunity to respond, the government’s motion must be granted absent evidence of collusion or unconstitutionality. This decision deepens a circuit split on the applicable standard under the FCA when the whistleblower objects to a government motion for dismissal.
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Senator Grassley and Others Propose Amendments to the False Claims Act

August 2, 2021 | Blog | By Samantha Kingsbury, Brian Dunphy, Laurence Freedman

Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of Senators led by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced two pieces of proposed legislation, one of which would amend the existing False Claims Act (FCA) and the other of which would amend the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act of 1986 (the PFCRA) to create the Administrative False Claims Act of 2021 (AFCA). The AFCA would focus on smaller claims than does the FCA. Senator Grassley described the bills as being intended to “help recoup even more money by clarifying confusion after the Escobar case” and as being needed more than ever “to fight the significant amounts of fraud we are already seeing” related to the trillions of dollars Congress has appropriated for COVID relief.
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Panel Discussion Among Government Lawyers Provides Key Insights into the Future of FCA Enforcement

June 1, 2021 | Blog | By Jane Haviland, Samantha Kingsbury, Karen Lovitch

During a recent panel discussion hosted virtually by the American Bar Association, attorneys from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and certain U.S. Attorneys’ Offices known for health care fraud enforcement provided valuable insight into key areas of health care fraud enforcement, including opioid-related enforcement, kickbacks to providers involving speaker programs, and allegations involving electronic medical records (EMR) vendors.  The panel also addressed the role of private equity funds as owners and operators of companies under investigation and provided observations and recommendations about effective compliance programs and their role in resolving health care fraud matters.
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FTC Engages in First Enforcement Action under COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act

April 27, 2021 | Blog | By Joanne Hawana, Samantha Kingsbury

In its first exercise of a newly granted authority, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or the Commission) on April 15, 2021 charged a St. Louis-based chiropractor and his company (the Defendants) with violating the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act (the COVID-19 Act) and the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act).  The Commission’s allegations focus on the deceptive marketing of products containing Vitamin D and Zinc as being scientifically proven to treat or prevent COVID-19 and as being equally as effective as or more effective than currently available COVID-19 vaccines.
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News & Press

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Mintz Member and Chair of the firm’s Health Law and Health Care Enforcement Defense Practices Karen Lovitch, Member Laurence Freedman, Of Counsel Samantha Kingsbury, and Associates Grady Campion and Caitlin Hill co-authored the Global Overview and corresponding United States chapter of the seventh edition of Lexology’s Healthcare Enforcement & Litigation 2022. Together these pieces outlined federal enforcement priorities in 2020, including matters involving opioids, COVID-19-related fraud, Medicare, and more, and look ahead to how health care enforcement is expected to evolve in the coming year. 
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Given the many substantive and strategic lessons to be learned from FCA investigations and litigations, bankruptcy counsel advising the various constituents impacted by an FCA case should be mindful of these potential lessons, as they may raise issues relevant to the bankruptcy estate, says Health Law attorney Samantha Kingsbury in this article.
Karen Lovitch, practice leader of the Mintz Health Law Practice, Eoin Beirne, a Member in the firm’s Litigation practice, along with Associates Samantha Kingsbury and Mackenzie Queenin authored the last in a four-part series of articles on health care enforcement trends in 2017.
Three attorneys from Mintz author the second installment of a four-part series recapping key government policies, regulations and enforcement actions from 2016 and discussing their potential impacts on 2017.
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Mintz Member and Chair of the Health Law Practice Karen S. Lovitch, Member Thomas S. Crane, and Associate Samantha P. Kingsbury co-authored a book published by the American Bar Association examining the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, one of the best-known federal fraud and abuse statutes, which prohibits transactions intended to induce or reward referrals for items or services reimbursed by the federal health care programs. The criminal statute has wide-ranging effects on business relationships in the health care, pharmaceutical, and medical device sectors.
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Events & Speaking

Speaker
Faculty
May
12
2016

Anti-Kickback Fundamentals

ABA | Health Law

Webinar

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Publications

Co-author, What Is...The Anti-Kickback Statute?, Second Edition, Published by the American Bar Association (2022)

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Recognition & Awards

  • Included on the Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Star: Health Care list (2017-2019)

  • Phi Beta Kappa

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Involvement

  • Member, American Health Lawyers Association
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