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Lauren M. Moldawer

Member

[email protected]

+1.202.434.7486

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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.
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viewpoints

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CMS Releases Part Two of Guidance for the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Prescription Payment Plan

February 27, 2024 | Blog | By Tara E. Dwyer, Lauren Moldawer, Madison Castle

On February 15, 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan Draft Part Two Guidance (Part Two Guidance) as part of the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) efforts to tackle high prescription drug costs. The Medicare Prescription Payment Part Plan (the Program), which was previously referred to as the “OOP Smoothing Program”, was established as part of the IRA and requires Part D plans (PDPs) to offer their members an option to pay for out-of-pocket (OOP) prescription drug costs in monthly capped payments, as opposed to all at once, at a pharmacy. Meaning, for members who opt-in to the Program, they will pay $0 at the pharmacy and the PDP must pay the pharmacy the full cost-sharing amount of the drug and then bill the member the amount of the cost-sharing over the remainder of the calendar year.
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Safeguarding Reproductive Rights

February 23, 2024 | Article

Lawyers for Good Government, in partnership with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, initiated a vital project known as The Policy Resource Hub in 2022.
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As the Mintz Health Law team welcomes the beginning of 2024, many of its members take a moment to reflect on the exciting growth of the Health Law Practice, opportunities to partner with clients on complex legal issues, and the celebration of numerous milestones.
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Mintz IRA Update — Inaugural Edition

September 20, 2023 | Blog | By Theresa Carnegie, Tara E. Dwyer, Mitchell Clough, Xavier Hardy, Stephnie John, Bridgette Keller, Lauren Moldawer, Pat Ouellette, Hassan Shaikh

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Most of the recent focus around the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) by the press and the industry has been on the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program and its potential impact on manufacturers. But the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been regularly releasing guidance regarding IRA-related changes that Part D plan sponsors had to implement for 2023 and in future years. CMS recently released guidance (Part One Guidance) on the Maximum Monthly Cap on Cost-Sharing Payments Program or the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan Program (previously referred to as the “OOP Smoothing Program”). The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan Program (the Program) will require Part D plans (PDPs) to make significant operational and system changes to meet its requirements. Many questions remain regarding the Program.
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CMS Announces Drug List for Inflation Reduction Act Price Negotiations

August 29, 2023 | Alert | By Theresa Carnegie, Lauren Moldawer

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Private equity ownership of health care providers is unquestionably under scrutiny by federal and state regulators. States are passing laws that either directly or indirectly target PE health care transactions. This post highlights the top five takeaways related to the proposed regulations for private equity companies or real estate investment trust ownership.
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MintzRx Newsletter — Your Prescription for the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

October 3, 2022 | Article | By Theresa Carnegie, Tara E. Dwyer, Xavier Hardy, Stephnie John, Bridgette Keller, Lauren Moldawer, Pat Ouellette, Hassan Shaikh

MintzRx is a regular newsletter providing you with everything you need to know to stay abreast of the legal, regulatory, and industry developments across the pharmaceutical supply chain.
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Summer 2022: Key Trends in Pharmacy Enforcement Actions

August 29, 2022 | Blog | By Lauren Moldawer, Grady Campion, Pat Ouellette

Pharmacies have long been a focus of enforcement actions brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG). This summer has been no exception, with the DOJ and OIG bringing a number of fraud cases against pharmacies and pharmacists. We also saw enforcement against pharmacies for allegedly falsifying prior authorization information and providing more insulin than the pharmacy billed to payors. This blog summarizes some of these and other key pharmacy enforcement trends this summer.
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News & Press

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The Cigna Health Group signed a deal selling its Medicare businesses to Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) for $3.7 billion. A Mintz team led by Tara Dwyer and Lauren Moldawer acted as regulatory counsel to The Cigna Group on the sale. In the deal, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, HCSC will acquire Cigna’s Medicare lines including Medicare Advantage, Medicare supplement, and Medicare drug plans, as well as CareAllies, a unit that works with physician groups and other healthcare providers.
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Mintz proudly announced the election of 13 attorneys to Members and the addition of a record-setting 22 new lateral Members in 2023, with 11 Partners in the newly opened Toronto office. This diverse group strengthens Mintz’s core areas, spanning Commercial and IP Litigation, Life Sciences, Tech, Private Equity, and Energy & Sustainability. The elevated Members and new lateral additions bring invaluable expertise to help clients navigate complex legal landscapes.
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Theresa Carnegie, Lauren Moldawer, and Hassan Shaikh co-authored an article published by Law360 on the Inflation Reduction Act's Medicare drug pricing negotiation program.
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Mintz is pleased to announce that 120 firm attorneys have been recognized as leaders by Best Lawyers® in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©.
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Mintz is advising a consortium of investors led by TPG Capital and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe in their acquisition of Curo Health Services, one of the nation’s leading hospice providers. The definitive agreement was announced on April 23, 2018. The deal is valued at approximately $1.4 billion.
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Mintz is advising a consortium of investors led by TPG Capital and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe in their acquisition of Kindred Healthcare, Inc. The definitive agreement totals approximately $4.1 billion in cash including the assumption or repayment of net debt.
Lauren Moldawer, a Mintz Health Law Associate based in Washington, DC, authored this AHLA article providing a comprehensive look at the operations and particulars of Medicaid programs across the United States.
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Recognition & Awards

  • Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch - Health Care Law (2024)

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