Nashville, Tenn., (May 17, 2021) – Jennifer E. Michael, former Chief of the Industry Guidance Branch at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Counsel to the Inspector General (OCIG), has joined Bass, Berry & Sims as a member of the firm’s Healthcare Practice in its Washington, D.C., office. In addition, the Healthcare Practice recently added two associates in Washington, D.C., Angela Beattie and Angela Haddon.
Michael draws on her government experience to help healthcare providers and life science companies avoid potential fraud and abuse hazards and navigate government investigations under the False Claims Act (FCA). She helps clients structure arrangements to comply with the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), the federal Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) law, and other state and federal fraud and abuse laws.
“Jennifer Michael is an outstanding attorney who has played a major role in formulating the federal government’s guidance to the healthcare industry over the last decade,” said Angela Humphreys, chair of the firm’s Healthcare Practice and co-chair of its Healthcare Private Equity Team. “She is an important addition to our nationally ranked healthcare practice and our clients will benefit from her wise counsel as they work to improve patient care and streamline the industry.”
During her tenure at OCIG, Michael led the Industry Guidance Branch in issuing dozens of advisory opinions, the first-ever rescission of an advisory opinion, and various other guidance documents. She also provided technical assistance to congressional committees and other parts of the executive branch, including the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).
Before joining HHS-OIG, Michael worked for eight years in the health law practice of a national law firm. Prior to attending law school, she worked four years as a certified public accountant for a Big Four accounting firm. Michael earned a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law (2002) and a B.B.A. from James Madison University (1995).
“I am thrilled to join such a deep, experienced and talented team of healthcare attorneys,” Michael said. “Bass, Berry & Sims works with many of the most innovative organizations in healthcare, and I am eager to help these organizations continue to make a difference in the industry.”
With Michael, Beattie and Haddon joining the firm, there are now 28 attorneys based in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. Both Beattie and Haddon will provide healthcare regulatory and transactional counsel as it relates to mergers and acquisitions, compliance and operational matters.
Prior to joining the firm, Beattie was a former Assistant Deputy General Counsel at HHS where she served as healthcare regulatory counsel to the Chief Legal Officer at the CMS and other senior leaders of the HHS Office of the General Counsel. Beattie earned a law degree and a Business Law Certificate from Florida State University College of Law (2019) and a B.A. from Duke University (2014).
Allison Beattie is admitted to practice only in Florida; not yet admitted in D.C. Being supervised under D.C., Rule 49 Exception 8.
Before joining Bass, Berry & Sims, Haddon worked at MedStar Health, a major integrated health system, as an attorney and health law fellow. Haddon earned a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center (2019) and a B.S. from the University of Arizona (2016). During law school, she served as a legal intern at HHS.
About the Bass, Berry & Sims Healthcare Practice
Marked by an integrated approach and unmatched regulatory knowledge, the healthcare practice of Bass, Berry & Sims is a team of more than 230 experienced attorneys who leverage their diverse strengths to meet the unique demands of our clients. Our team encompasses the multitude of legal specialties necessary to service one of the largest, most highly regulated industries in the U.S. The firm has been recognized by leading healthcare and legal industry outlets, including, nationally ranked by Chambers USA for the last five years (2016-2020), recognized as the third largest healthcare law firm in the U.S. by American Health Law Association (2020), and honored in the healthcare category as a Law360 Practice Group of the Year (2020). Read more here.
About Bass, Berry & Sims PLC
With more than 280 attorneys representing numerous publicly traded companies and Fortune 500 businesses, Bass, Berry & Sims has been involved in some of the largest and most significant litigation matters, investigations and business transactions in the country. For more information, visit bassberry2022.wpengine.com.