MLO welcomes Robert E. Mazer as the editor of “Liability and the lab.” Mr. Mazer and a panel of experts from Ober|Kaler will address a variety of topics that concern clinical laboratories. By way of introduction, we present brief bios of the newest members of the MLO team.
Robert E. Mazer is an Ober|Kaler Health Law Group principal who represents hospitals, clinical laboratories, and other diagnostic services providers and physicians, particularly in connection with legal, regulatory, and business issues related to clinical lab and anatomic pathology services. He provides advice on issues including Medicare, Medicaid, and other third-party payment rules, application of the Federal Anti-kickback Statute and Federal (“Stark Law”) and State self-referral prohibitions to relationships with referral sources, and compliance with the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA ’88). Mr. Mazer represents companies facing government investigations and regulatory disputes, including recoupment actions, CLIA sanctions, and revocation of Medicare billing privileges. Mr. Mazer serves on the advisory boards of Laboratory Compliance Insider and Washington G-2 Reports.
Virginia B. Evans is a principal in Ober|Kaler’s Government Investigations and White Collar Defense Group. She has more than 28 years of experience in healthcare and federal law enforcement. Before joining the firm, Ms. Evans was managing director of the healthcare practice of an international forensic consulting firm, where she supervised healthcare, pharmaceutical, and academic medical-center investigations and provided compliance services to a range of healthcare clients. Ms. Evans also worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland for 13 years, including two years as chief of the civil division, where she managed the healthcare fraud and financial litigation units. Ms. Evans has experience handling False Claims Act, Stark and Anti-kickback, and healthcare-fraud allegations. She serves as a compliance expert for a major pharmaceutical company under the terms of its corporate integrity agreement.
Sharon A. Snyder is a principal in Ober|Kaler’s Employment and Litigation Groups. An experienced trial attorney in jury and non-jury cases, she also represents clients in administrative proceedings and alternative dispute resolution, or ADR, procedures, with extensive experience arbitrating commercial disputes under the complex and commercial case rules of the American Arbitration Association. Ms. Snyder’s practice spans a wide range of civil litigation matters for clients that include healthcare institutions, high-tech companies, equipment manufacturers, private educational institutions, banks, and telecommunications companies. She regularly counsels employers on legal issues relating to the employer/employee relationship, providing advice to avoid litigation.
Donna J. Senft is a principal in Ober|Kaler’s Health Law Group where she focuses on healthcare transactions and regulatory matters. She represents various providers including nursing facilities, assisted-living facilities, home-health agencies, hospices, adult day care centers, rehabilitation agencies, and durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies, or DMEPOS, suppliers, in Medicare and Medicaid certification and compliance issues, billing and reimbursement, and state licensure. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Senft used her physical-therapy degree to provide clinical and administrative services to rehabilitation departments in various healthcare settings. Ms. Senft is the author of medicareforgeeks.com, an Internet blog covering Medicare enrollment and provider enrollment, chain, and ownership system, or PECOS, developments.
James B. Wieland, a principal in Ober|Kaler’s Health Law and Intellectual Property Groups, leads the Healthcare Information Privacy, Security, and Technology practice. Mr. Wieland’s practice is focused on healthcare information and technology issues. He represents start-up and emerging healthcare services, practice-management and technology companies, healthcare providers, and physician organizations. Mr. Wieland counsels healthcare industry clients on all aspects of information privacy and security issues, including state laws and the HIPAA privacy and security rules. He has published numerous articles on healthcare topics and is the author of “Medicare Part B Reimbursement for Physicians” in the Clark Boardman treatise Health Law Practice Guide and Managed Care and Capitation Contracting, a book published by the American Society of Internal Medicine.
MLO’s “Liability and the lab” is intended to provide information of a general nature; it is not intended to provide specific legal advice. If you require legal advice, the services of an attorney should be sought. Contact us at [email protected].
