Health Law Diagnosed – New Year's Gratitude

In the latest episode of Health Law Diagnosed, host Of Counsel Bridgette Keller invites the Mintz Health Law team to reflect on what they’re grateful for as they prepare for the year ahead.

Hear from a dynamic group of Members, Of Counsel, and Associates as they share their perspectives on what’s coming up over the horizon.

Have questions or want to connect with the team? Reach out to us at [email protected].

Health Law Diagnosed – New Year's Gratitude Transcript

Bridgette Keller: Welcome back to Health Law Diagnosed, a Mintz podcast dedicated to health law, health policy, and social issues in the health care industry. I'm Bridgette Keller, your podcast host. It's the start of a new year, 2025, and with it comes a new administration, which we explored with Alex during our last episode. We'll have new opportunities for growth and new opportunities for creative, business-oriented solutions to the complex issues percolating in the health care industry.

This episode is a personal favorite of mine. I've again asked the Mintz team to share something they are grateful for as we get ready for the year ahead. Unsurprisingly, one of the themes you hear throughout this episode is that folks are grateful for the people we work with, our excellent colleagues, and our excellent clients. And honestly, I could not agree more.

This year, as I reflect on 2024, I am grateful for the trust clients put in me and our team to handle their important matters. My professional focus in 2024 included the successful closeout of complex regulatory filings, a CMS appeal win, the negotiation of multiple pharmacy benefit management agreements, and the negotiation of strategic and innovative value-based care arrangements.

My son is in second grade now, and he recently told me that he wants to be a lawyer when he grows up. So naturally, I asked him “why?” And he replied, “Because lawyers solve people's problems.” And honestly, he hit the nail on the head because this is what I am most looking forward to doing in 2025.

Listeners, I now turn it over to the Mintz team.

Alison Peters: I'm a new Member to the Health Law Practice within Mintz. I specialize in PBM contracting working under Rachel Alexander, Theresa Carnegie, and Lauren Moldawer. I'm thrilled to be part of this team. The folks on this team have been wonderfully kind in helping me understand PBM contracting from this perspective. As for what I'm looking forward to in 2025, I’m very interested to see the shape, if any, PBM reform will take. I think we'll see something come across but the mantle may need to be carried at the state level and I'm curious how this will progress through 2025.

Samantha Kingsbury: I'm Of Counsel in Mintz’s Boston office. I work primarily on government investigations and compliance matters. And this holiday season, I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to work on a big team of lawyers from both the Health Law Practice and many other practices in our firm to defend a client in a large investigation being jointly conducted by state and federal agencies. This matter has presented interesting legal issues and given us the opportunity to showcase how multifaceted we are as a group, and also the collaborative way we work with attorneys from across our firm to really help clients navigate some unique and challenging issues.

Theresa Carnegie:. I'm a Member in the DC office and in the Health Law Practice. And this holiday season, I am, as always, grateful and thankful to work with my amazing friends and colleagues in the Health Law Practice. I am always appreciative for all of the incredible Associates that we work with, and the amazing client service and work product that they produce. I'm also incredibly thankful for our interesting and varied clients who bring us challenging, thought-provoking, and cutting-edge legal questions in the health care space. In 2025, I'm looking forward to working again with everyone on our team, working with our clients, and continuing to be creative in helping them solve their problems and issues.

Joanne Hawana: I'm a Member in the DC office specializing in FDA regulatory matters. I'm grateful for all the new attorneys and professional staff that joined the Health Law Practice in 2024. I'm also grateful for all my colleagues at Mintz who are collaborative, collegial, kind, and committed to making our workplace better every day. I look forward to another great year in 2025. Happy New Year.

Abdie Santiago: I'm an Associate in Mintz’s Washington, DC office. This year, I'm super grateful for all the new faces that have joined our practice throughout the year that have brought with them their own expertise, knowledge, and interest in clients and matters. It's been a blast getting to collaborate with the new team members and put our minds together to solve some of our clients’ toughest issues.

Stephnie John: I am a Health Law Associate in our New York office. This year, I am grateful for our ever-expanding PBMs, Pharmacies, and Plans Practice with the addition of our new Member, Rachel Alexander, and some stellar new Associates to our team. I have had the opportunity to expand my portfolio of work for health plans to include pharmacy benefit management, contracting, and procurement.

Thanks to the support of a team that invests in mentorship, I have been able to stretch my skills in new areas while acquiring knowledge and expertise that has significantly enhanced my regulatory counseling practice.

Each year, I am thankful to be surrounded by such intelligent, innovative, and intellectually curious fellow health care nerds, and I look forward to continuing to grow my practice with this incredible team in 2025.

Pamela Polevoy: I’m Special Counsel in Mintz’s New York office. This 2025, I'm grateful for new opportunities that evolved at the end of 2024 here at Mintz and that I'm seeing continue into 2025, to work closely with new teams in the Health Law Practice and the Corporate Practice, and as always when I'm listing out my gratitude, I'm forever grateful for my fabulous son, my family, and dear friends. Happy 2025.

Karen Lovitch: I'm Chair of the Health Law Practice and I'm based in the Washington, DC office. As always, I'm so grateful for the tight-knit, high-performing team we have here at Mintz. I love working with each person here, every single day. When the LA fire started to flare up, I was visiting our LA office on business. Since then, I've been thinking a lot about what I'm grateful for and it honestly really took me back to basics.

I'm so grateful for my home, my safety, my job, my friends, and my coworkers, and I hope that everyone will take the opportunity to learn from this tragedy and really think about what's important to them.

On a lighter note, I just want to say that I am so grateful for the Washington Commanders. They have really taken the team to a place they have not been since I moved here in 1992 and have made me happy and made an entire community happy. Even if we lose to the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, I think it will be a win in everyone's eyes. Go, Commanders!

Jeannie Mancheno: I'm a Health Law Associate in Mintz’s New York office. Something I'm very grateful for this year are the opportunities that Mintz has afforded me to keep developing professionally. I've been able to attend several conferences and workshops hosted both inside of our firm and outside of our firm, that have discussed several different health law topics and have helped me grow as a lawyer.

I'm also extremely grateful for my colleagues in the Health Law Practice who have not only supported my professional growth this year but have also supported my personal growth as well.

Deborah Daccord: I'm a Member in Mintz’s Miami office. This holiday season, I'm grateful for being associated with a firm and with so many clients who celebrate and support their people, whether in good times or in difficult times. I'm so very grateful for having clients who support their teammates, who are there for them, and who celebrate them. Happy New Year, everyone!

Rachel Alexander: As 2025 portends to be a time of increasing turbulence and disruption in the delivery of pharmacy benefits, I am especially grateful to be tackling the many opportunities and issues that accompany interesting times with Mintz’s Payors, Plans, and PBM team. It is a rare and special thing to get to collaborate with insightful and creative clients, consultants, and 15 of the best and brightest pharmacy benefit and supply chain lawyers in the country.

Jane Haviland: I'm an Associate in the Boston office. This year, I'm grateful for all the mentorship opportunities that I've had. I've worked on some very large cases with many Associates across the firm, and it's been a pleasure to work closely with them, to learn from them, and to help teach them. I really enjoy it.

David Gilboa: I'm an Associate in the New York office. This holiday season, I'm grateful for my colleagues. I'm grateful to be able to work with such fun, smart, and kind people. This year, I had the opportunity to work on a few big projects in the health insurance and PBM industry, including shaking up the traditional pharmacy benefit model between health insurers and PBMs to a more modular approach to pharmacy benefits.

We encountered so many operational, financial, and legal challenges. However, working through the many challenges with my Mintz colleagues and clients, we're able to address and solve them. At times it was frustrating but when challenged to solve these complex problems, the Mintz team was able to work together, share ideas, and come up with dynamic and interesting solutions. This has taught me that when encountered with difficult problems, we shouldn't hesitate to lean on smart colleagues because together with collaboration and creative thinking, you can solve any problem.

Kathryn Edgerton: I'm a Member in Mintz’s Los Angeles office. This holiday season, I'm grateful for my strong community of family, friends, and clients as we come together to support our city. I look forward to being there for my clients as we work together to improve and grow behavioral health care for all people in California and across the entire country.

Hassan Shaikh: I'm grateful to be able to work with a wonderful team of dedicated and compassionate colleagues who keep things light and joyful, even under moments of high pressure. And I'm grateful for being part of a team that encourages my career growth and pushes me to be a better lawyer every single day.

Laurence Freedman: I’m a Member in the Health Law and Litigation Practices in the DC and New York offices. I am grateful for my family and for our clients who trust us with their most severe challenges. I am also grateful for our amazing Associates who support us and our clients to their utmost. I hope 2025 is a great year for each of you.

Madison Castle: I'm an Associate in the DC office. This year I'm thankful for the Associates, Of Counsel, and Members here at Mintz who have continued to show investment in the growth of myself and other Associates. I've had the opportunity over the past year to learn from colleagues about so many interesting areas of health law, from researching niche areas of Medicare and Medicaid to drafting pharmacy benefit manager agreements.

I am also grateful for Mintz and the Health Law Practice for their dedication to pro bono matters. It is without a doubt that Members, Of Counsels, and Associates alike bring their passion and expertise into helping nonprofits meet their mission. I look forward to what is to come in 2025.

Priyanka Amirneni: As I reflect on 2024, I'm incredibly grateful for the warm welcome I received since joining the Health Law Practice. The genuine kindness, enthusiasm, and support from this team have been truly inspiring and I feel so fortunate to be part of a group that is invested in each other's growth and success. I am also thankful for the opportunity to work alongside such talented colleagues and to learn from them every day.

Looking ahead, I'm excited to tackle new, interesting, and challenging matters that will have a meaningful impact for our clients. 2024 has been a year of great change and growth, and I'm so thankful for everything it has brought. Here's to a bright and successful 2025!

Samantha Hawkins: I'm a fifth-year Associate in the Mintz DC office. I lateraled to Mintz nearly a year ago and could not be happier with that decision. Everyone at the firm has welcomed me with open arms and I've had countless opportunities to work with my brilliant colleagues and clients on engaging matters. And for that, I am im-Mintz-ly grateful.

This year I am looking forward to continuing the great work we're doing here with the Health Law Practice, producing quality work product for our clients, and continuing to follow and publish thought leadership on the ever-changing PBM, regulatory, and health care landscapes.

Xavier Hardy: I'm Associate in the Mintz DC office. I'd say over the last year or so, the thing I've been most grateful for is that I continue to generally enjoy working with all of my colleagues in the Health Law Practice. We've had some personnel changes over the last year and a half. We brought in plenty of new people at every level. And yet, we've continued to have a good group culture. I've generally enjoyed all the people we've added. It's not a small thing to be able to come to work every day and get along with your colleagues and I'm grateful for that.

Tara Dwyer: I'm a Member in Mintz’s Washington, DC office. This holiday season, I'm thankful for the Associates who are always team players, willing to pitch in and willing to learn new areas.

Rachel Yount: I'm Of Counsel in our Washington, DC office. This year, I'm really filled with gratitude. I am just celebrating my sixth year at Mintz and over the years Mintz has consistently been really a great place to work. Offering a lot of fulfilling opportunities and collaboration with exceptional colleagues. This year, I've had the privilege of working closely with more and more ACOs and other value-based care organizations.

It's been an incredibly meaningful year to play, even just a small part in these organizations important mission to improve patient care and outcomes. I'm also deeply thankful for the trust and partnerships we've built with our clients and contacts over the years. Your support and collaboration are integral to our success, and I look forward to continuing to work together in the years to come.

Sophia Temis: I'm an Associate in the Health Law Practice of Mintz New York office. 2024 was a dynamic year in my professional career, a year filled with many growth opportunities where I was able to take on leadership roles, and navigate the complex space of pharmacy benefit management, contracting, and dispute negotiations. I have also had the opportunity to work on negotiating innovative value-based care arrangements, closing multiple pharmacy deals, and working closely with clients on various projects to provide strategic and regulatory advice as they build their business visions from the ground up. And I've been able to do all of that while working alongside the most brilliant and talented Partners, Of Counsel, and Associates who I'm constantly in awe of.

2025 is already gearing up to be a year of even more growth as the Payors, Plans, and PBMs group will be tackling numerous competitive contracting projects for several of our clients. I welcome all the learning opportunities and challenges that lie ahead because through the support of my peers and mentors, I have learned that in being a part of the Mintz Health Law Practice, you can really accomplish at all.

Bridgette Keller: Thank you for joining us for this episode of Health Law Diagnosed. We are especially grateful to you, our listeners, for the success of Health Law Diagnosed and our Women Leaders in Health Care series.

If you have any questions for our team, please feel free to reach out directly or email us at [email protected]

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