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Kate F. Stewart

Of Counsel

[email protected]

+1.617.348.4868

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As former in-house counsel at an academic and community hospital system, Kate provides solutions on a broad range of legal issues affecting health care clients including digital health and privacy regulations, clinical trial compliance, and transactions for for-profit and non-profit clients.

Kate draws on her in-house experience to provide holistic counsel to hospitals, physician groups, clinical laboratories, retail health clinics, pharmacies, and payors, as well as new market entrants and start-ups in the digital health space.

Kate has a depth of experience with regard to clinical and bench research, including contractual matters, FDA regulations and NIH rules, as well as the complex issues at the intersection of transformative models for conducting clinical trials.   

Related to privacy compliance, Kate advises clients on implementing and updating HIPAA policies, crafting compliant solutions to data sharing, and responding to potential breaches under HIPAA and state data breach rules.

Kate additionally has extensive experience with physician contracting and licensing and scope of practice issues. Her practice also encompasses representing providers, payors, and investors in mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures. She additionally counsels nonprofit health organizations on entity formation, governance, and tax-exemption issues.

Prior to rejoining Mintz, Kate served as associate general counsel of Beth Israel Lahey Health, where she focused on clinical, bench, and translational research at a major academic medical center, as well as advising community hospitals on regulatory compliance, physician matters, and transactions. She began her career in private practice at Mintz, first as Summer Associate, and then as an Associate in the Health Law Practice. Directly after graduating from law school, Kate was a law fellow at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, where she focused on international health governance, pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV/AIDS, and food and drug safety issues.

Experience

  • Provided state and federal health care regulatory advice to telehealth pioneer Amwell.
  • Served a secondment to a behavioral health administrator, providing guidance on HIPAA compliance and other matters.
  • Counseled providers and telehealth companies regarding multi-state telemedicine practice, including prescribing through telemedicine, corporate practice of medicine, reimbursement and licensing issues. 
  • Drafted and negotiated clinical trial agreements for a pre-clinical pharmaceutical company.
  • Counseled private equity sponsors on health care acquisitions, including fraud and abuse issues, licensure, change of ownership, and privacy matters. 
  • Provided state and federal health care regulatory advice to American Well, a pioneer in telehealth technology.
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viewpoints

Last month, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (“NASEM”) issued a report discussing the inclusion of pregnant and lactating people in clinical research and the health impacts of inadequate data from research involving this subpopulation. Titled “Advancing Clinical Research with Pregnant and Lactating Persons: Overcoming Real and Perceived Liability Risks,” the report came as a response to Congress calling upon NASEM to examine the real and perceived prevalence of legal liability resulting from including these research subjects in clinical trials. Overall, the report concluded that legal liability for including pregnant and lactating persons in research is very limited, but that perceptions of potential liability and a lack of explicit guidance for including this population safely have created real barriers to their inclusion.  In response, the report provides recommended actions for Congress, the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”), and the Office of Human Research Protections (“OHRP”) to take to enhance the inclusion of this population in clinical trials, thereby enhancing data around the safety and efficacy of approved drug products for pregnant and lactating persons.  Study sponsors and institutions conducting research should continue to monitor developments in this area, including guidance from FDA.

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Covered entities, business associates, and any entities that collect health information about consumers online should carefully review the latest joint letter from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the   Federal Trade Commission (FTC). On July 20, 2023, the agencies sent a joint letter to approximately 130 hospital systems and telehealth providers warning them about “serious privacy and security risks related to the use of online tracking technologies” such ad Google Analytics and Meta/Facebook Pixel. That letter was subsequently shared publicly and should be reviewed by any entity subject to regulation by either agency.   

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Covered entities, business associates, and any entities that collect health information about consumers online should carefully review the latest joint letter from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the   Federal Trade Commission (FTC). On July 20, 2023, the agencies sent a joint letter to approximately 130 hospital systems and telehealth providers warning them about “serious privacy and security risks related to the use of online tracking technologies” such ad Google Analytics and Meta/Facebook Pixel. That letter was subsequently shared publicly and should be reviewed by any entity subject to regulation by either agency.   

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A new Florida law will require certain Florida-licensed providers to ensure that patient information is physically maintained only in the continental United States and its territories or in Canada. Florida SB 264, which goes into effect July 1, 2023, amends the Florida Electronic Health Records Exchange Act, adding a ban on offshoring health information that goes beyond the requirements under HIPAA and most other generally applicable health privacy and security laws. Florida licensees to which the new requirements apply will need to attest upon initial licensure and any renewals that they are in compliance with the new requirements. Applicable licensees will also be required to ensure that no individual or entity with a controlling interest in the licensee has an interest in an entity that has a business relationship with certain foreign countries.

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OCR Proposes HIPAA Amendments to Protect Reproductive Health Care Information

April 13, 2023 | Blog | By Dianne Bourque, Kate Stewart, Pat Ouellette

In response to concerns about the confidentiality of protected health information (PHI) related to reproductive health care less than one year after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, and the prospect of such PHI being weaponized by states and used against patients, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has proposed amendments to the HIPAA Privacy Rule to protect that information.

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Mintz Health Law: What We Are Grateful For

January 11, 2023 | Podcast | By Bridgette Keller

Bridgette Keller speaks with the Mintz Health Law team about what they are grateful for as they look back on a year of client service, mentorship, and working together as a team.

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Is Your Website Collecting PHI Under OCR's New Tracking Technologies Bulletin?

December 7, 2022 | Blog | By Dianne Bourque, Lara Compton, Kathryn Edgerton, Cassandra Paolillo, Kate Stewart

Covered Entities and Business Associates should promptly and carefully review their use of online tracking technologies on their websites and mobile apps following a bulletin (Bulletin) published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) last week.  The Bulletin addresses multiple facets of compliance with HIPAA when using online third-party tracking technologies (Tracking Technologies).  In doing so, OCR significantly expands its interpretation of the definition of Protected Health Information (PHI) to include, in some instances, identifiable information gathered by Tracking Technologies where a user visits a website and does not interact with the entity in any other way. In its Bulletin, OCR interprets the act of an individual visiting a website as evidence of a relationship or anticipated future relationship between the visitor and the entity.

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All players in the health and wellness ecosystem should be following developments around the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA).  If enacted, the ADPPA would be a watershed in the regulation of the privacy and security of personal information, including health information.  The ADPPA would have a particularly large impact on entities that currently collect, process, and transmit health information but are not subject to HIPAA.

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News & Press

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187 Mintz attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers® in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Notably, three Mintz attorneys received 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” awards, and 64 firm attorneys were included in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

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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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The deal will take public ProKidney, a leading clinical-stage cellular therapeutics company focused on chronic kidney disease, and is expected to provide up to $825 million in gross cash proceeds.

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Mintz Of Counsel Kate Stewart was quoted in an edition of HCPro’s “Briefings on HIPAA” regarding policy and procedure considerations for HIPAA compliance officers with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)’s 21st Century Cures Act: Interoperability, Information Blocking, and the ONC Health IT Certification Program in effect.
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Mintz Of Counsel Kate Stewart was quoted in an article published by SC Magazine on an increase in private party litigation after outages, ransomware, and data breaches in health care. Ms. Stewart commented on the emerging trend and shared policy and procedure considerations for providers to help defend against these potential lawsuits.
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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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Events & Speaking

Speaker
May
9
2024

HIPAA Update for 2024

Organized by HCCA (Health Care Compliance Association)

Webinar

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Apr
4
2023

Tracking Technologies in Health Care

Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation

Online Event

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Jan
30
2023

Is Your Organization Prepared for Today’s Clinical Research?

Academic Medical Centers and Teaching Hospitals Law Institute 2023

Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld

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Speaker
May
25
2022

The Evolving Health Care Privacy Landscape

Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation (WBL) Event

Online Event

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Recognition & Awards

  • Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch - Health Care Law (2024, 2025)

  • Recognized by The Legal 500 United States for Healthcare: Service Providers (2024)

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Involvement

  • Co-Editor, Chapter Newsletter/Blog, Massachusetts-Rhode Island Chapter, Healthcare Financial Managers Association (2014–present)
  • Former Board Member, Massachusetts-Rhode Island Chapter, Healthcare Financial Managers Association (2016–2020)
  • Member, American Health Lawyer Associate
  • Member, American Bar Association
  • Member, American Telehealth Association
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