Special Counsel is a nationwide provider of legal staffing and recruiting services.Hired and assigned to quickly, accurately and cost-effectively process very large and complex volumes of data for a large Washington, DC-based law firm engaged in a significant civil litigation case. Using Relativity software program, conducted document review by analyzing and tagging electronic discovery (native) documents as to whether each document is relevant to an issue in the case, whether it is responsive to a discovery request (and therefore may need to be produced as part of the discovery process), whether it is confidential, whether it is attorney client or otherwise privileged, and whether it is related to “hot” or key words pertinent to the litigation

AMRPA is a trade association representing 500 medical rehabilitation hospitals and units.I was recruited by the Chairman of the Board to provide day-to-day operational leadership and general counsel work for this nationwide nonprofit trade association. I was responsible for revamping operations, policies and procedures to improve efficiency and effectiveness, with specific focus on achieving the association’s mission and financial objectives and ensuring that its operations, programs, activities, and services directly benefited the membership and complied with current laws and regulations.During this period I successfully:► Developed and executed a $700k (annual) request-for-proposal for association management services, identified & evaluated qualified bidders, screened finalists with Board Members in the Selection & Executive Committees, negotiated final contract, and launched the transition to the new management firm, saving the organization more than $100,000 while improving operational productivity and increasing membership value.► Revised the budget process for our annual $4.5M budget, monthly financial statements and annual audit; assessed impact of proposed actions and policies on the budget; optimized proper management of assets, including facilities, equipment and technology; negotiated agreements with outside parties, outside counsel, vendors and clients. ► Coordinated Government Affairs and Health Policy Advocacy activities.► Monitored industry-specific legislation and compliance with regulatory standards and ensured that appropriate risk management strategies were in place, including HIPAA, accounting, tax laws.► Built collaborative and effective relationships among the association’s members as well as with stakeholders & related associations.

Cathy Betz Consulting is a Washington, DC-based firm that provides health policy advice and counsel on the state and federal levels to health-related trade associations, law firms and public relations firms, pharmaceutical manufacturers, providers and medical device manufacturers.I founded CBC to provide rapid response on substantive matters to entities seeking an alternative to pricey, in-house research, policy analysis and political counsel. As an independent contractor, I could offer clients’ flexibility to outsource specific tasks or projects and add another element of expertise to their current resources.As a consultant and senior adviser during this period I’m particularly proud of…Advice and guidance on these ISSUES:► Health data policy and privacy (HIPAA data and security rules)► Implementation of the Affordable Care Act► Section 340B prescription drug discounts► Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement policy► Physician payment reform and the Sunshine ActDelivered via:► Thought leadership and strategic planning► Political counsel on both sides of the aisle► Research and analysis on issues► Drafting regulatory comments, testimony and talking points► Attending hearings and briefings on legislative and regulatory policies and programs to advance client priorities.

Symphony Health Solutions (formerly Wolters Kluwer) is a leading provider of high-value data, analytics, technology solutions and actionable insights for healthcare and life sciences manufacturers, payers and providers. I was recruited to create, lead and manage the company’s first Government Relations Program on the state and federal levels. I defended Symphony’s practice of collecting prescription data from pharmacies (de-identified with respect to patients but identifying the prescribing physician) and producing reports for pharmaceutical manufacturers to strategically market & promote their drugs.My efforts were directly responsible for protecting Symphony’s core business model and preserving over $157M in annual revenue.In doing so, I successfully:► Spearheaded a nationwide effort to challenge the constitutionality of state laws restricting the use of de-identified information for commercial purposes, resulting in a landmark 1st Amendment U.S. Supreme Court ruling. ► United 3 competing organizations into one alliance of health information organizations and allies to defeat 50 similar bills in 27 states + 42 similar bills in 20 states during two legislative sessions.► Represented & positioned company as a source of knowledge and expertise regarding data use, privacy protection, and HIPAA de-identified health data among policy makers and like-minded stakeholders & allies on the state and federal levels.► Resisted new regulatory changes that would create compliance burdens on company operations by meeting with GAO, FTC, HHS and ONC staff & submitting comments on data protection, consent requirements, and standards regarding the use of limited data sets or de-identified data.► Provided skilled policy analysis of key health issues to C-suite and other top executives, including data use & privacy, HIPAA privacy & security rules, health care reform, Medicare prescription drug coverage, physician payment reform, health information technology.

RBA, Inc., is a full-service, bipartisan health care consulting firm that provides clients discreet and hands-on public affairs, lobbying, strategic consulting, and advocacy expertise as well as association management services. I joined RBA as a legislative assistant and ultimately became Partner. As Executive Health Counsel, I designed and led clients’ advocacy efforts and developed “white papers,” legal briefs and advocacy presentations to facilitate discussions with lawmakers. As a subject matter expert and master of the legislative process, I opened doors on the Hill and successfully helped clients address concerns regarding federal agency and congressional actions affecting their business.Some examples of my Government Affairs & Association Management successes include: ► Enacting of Medicare fraud and abuse safe harbor for the administrative fee payment practice between group purchasing organizations and hospitals, resulting in average annual non-labor cost savings by hospitals nationwide of up to 30% ($36 billion).► Increasing Medicare Part B payments of $180 million over eight years for eye and ear specialty hospitals, preserving access to expert care.► Petitioning for funding for a study on graduate medical education in the outpatient setting for a large, urban teaching hospital.► Leading coalition of ten politically diverse state hospital associations in successful advocacy effort to preserve Medicare payment rate for inpatient hospital services► Establishing and managing a national trade association of leading group purchasing organizations and providing them with strategic planning, program and policy development, advocacy, legislative and regulatory counsel, membership recruitment and coalition building.► Organizing 12 leading eye and ear specialty hospitals in the U.S. and internationally and creating a global trade association to advance their interests among federal policymakers.