Biography
Aleah Schutze knew from a young age that she wanted to pursue a career in health care and obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Health. Her decision to attend law school was born out of an altruistic desire to help more people by helping health care entities fulfill their individual missions. Continuing to build her health care acumen, Aleah spent three years as the Associate General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for Res-Care, Inc. (now BrightSpring Health Services), the largest diversified health and human services provider in the U.S. In that role, she gained experience in providing residential services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as home care, behavioral health, rehabilitation services, and other health-related support services. As a result, Aleah developed a more in-depth understanding of the issues health care entities face from a business, as well as a legal standpoint.
Since joining Steptoe & Johnson, Aleah continues to be inspired as she helps clients navigate ever-changing health care regulations, structure and document complex contracts and transactions, and advise on licensure and public and private payor requirements.
Clients appreciate Aleah’s practical, business-like approach as she works with them to evaluate risks, advises them on regulatory requirements, and recommends courses of action.
Representative Experience
- Drafted and reviewed contracts and developed policies for higher education institutions for on-campus health clinics
- Counseled on a wide variety of topics, including the Stark Law, the Anti-Kickback Statute, HIPAA, the HITECH Act, EMTALA, licensure, Medicare and Medicaid enrollment, the corporate practice of medicine doctrine, and Certificate of Need programs
- Advised healthcare clients on medical and recreational cannabis laws nationwide, and assists clients in developing policies related to medical and recreational cannabis
- Drafted agreements for healthcare clients, including leases, medical director agreements, professional services agreements, physician recruitment agreements, independent contractor agreements, staffing agreements, and employment agreements
- Assisted clients with internal investigations, compliance reviews, and reimbursement audits
- Represented healthcare entities in sales, acquisitions and mergers
- Advised national healthcare client with multiple business lines on necessary filings in 42 states for licensing and Medicaid compliance
- Represented healthcare providers in Medicare and Medicaid payment, overpayment refund, and compliance disputes
- Counseled healthcare clients on regulatory, reimbursement and compliance issues involving all aspects of Medicaid fee-for-service and waiver programs
- Reviewed and drafted HIPAA policies and procedures, medical record confidentiality and disclosure policies and procedures and other operational and related documents for health care clients
- Provided federal and state regulatory guidance to multi-state long term care company in sale of assets
- Advised clients during and post regulatory surveys, including mitigation of immediate jeopardy, responding to statements of deficiency, and challenging citations, Civil monetary penalties, and other enforcement activity
- Advised client regarding state licensing requirements and operational policies for foster care provided to both medically fragile adults and at risk youth
- Advised clients on telehealth policies, procedures, and related privacy issues
- Assisted various health care providers through the Kentucky Certificate of Need approval process
Education
- J.D. Georgetown University Law Center
- M.P.H. The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
- B.A./B.S. The Evergreen State College
Memberships
- American Health Lawyers Association
- Health Care Compliance Association
- West Virginia Rural Health Association
- Pennsylvania Healthcare Association
- Ohio Healthcare Association
- Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities
Achievements
- Certified, Health Care Compliance
- Medical Privacy Award, ACLU of Southern California for work on Patient Zero v. California Division of Industrial Relations et al. (2011)
- Pro Bono Award from the American Health Lawyers Association (2011)
Speaking Engagements
- Co-presenter , “Medical Marijuana: Legal and Practical Considerations for Long Term Care Providers”, American Health Law Association’s Long Term and Post-Acute Care Law and Compliance Program (February 27, 2024)
- “Medical Cannabis and Long Term Care – Considerations for Providers”, Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities’ Annual Meeting & Expo (November 15, 2023)
- Co-presenter, “Current Survey and Enforcement Actions”, Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities’ Annual Meeting & Expo (November 15, 2023)
- Co-presenter, “An Update on Recent Cannabis-Related Litigation”, American Cannabis Nurse’s Association Cannabis Care Conference (May 21, 2023)
- Co-presenter, “Legal Ethics: Understanding and Preserving Privilege”, American Health Law Association’s Long-Term Care and the Law Conference (March 23-24, 2022)
- Co-presenter, “Current Survey and Enforcement Actions and Compliance Efforts Post-Pandemic”, Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities’ Annual Meeting & Expo (November 11, 2021)
- “Medical Cannabis: Legal and Practical Considerations for Health Care Providers”, American Cannabis Nurse’s Association Cannabis Care Conference (October 19, 2021)
- Co-presenter, “Compliance Challenges and Best Practices for Providers of Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services”, Health Care Compliance Association’s Annual Compliance Institute (April 20, 2021)
- Co-presenter, “Marijuana Legalization: Considerations for Long Term Care Providers”, American Health Law Association’s Long-Term Care and Law Conference (March 3, 2021)
- Co-presenter, “Understanding and Preserving Privilege During Compliance Investigations”, HCCA Healthcare Enforcement Compliance Conference (November 17, 2020)
- Co-presenter, “Understanding and Protecting the Quality Assurance Privilege”, Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities’ Annual Meeting (November 12, 2020)
- “Experimental Drugs, Marijuana, and Complimentary Medicine Risks and Best Practices,“ Health Care Compliance Association (April 2019)
- “Mental Health Issues and Liability for Suicide Prevention in a Long Term Care Setting,” American Health Lawyers Association Long Term Care and the Law Conference (February 2019)
Publications
- Co-author, Chapter, Health Care Receivables Financing, Wolters Kluwer Health Care Law Publication (2014)
- Ms. Schutze has authored various alerts and blogs on healthcare issues
Speaker Event
Legal Insight