Associate General Counsel – Regulatory Affairs and Compliance

Vanderbilt University Medical Center•Nashville, TN

6d•Remote

About The Position

The Vanderbilt Health Executive Search Team is conducting a national search for an Associate General Counsel – Regulatory Affairs and Compliance. The Associate General Counsel – Regulatory Affairs and Compliance provides a broad range of legal support to Vanderbilt Health’s operations serves as a key legal advisor supporting the academic medical center, regional hospitals, and affiliated healthcare entities. This attorney provides strategic and practical legal counsel regarding healthcare regulatory compliance, physician relationships, quality and value-based care initiatives, conflicts of interest, and clinically integrated network (CIN) operations. The position works closely with executive leadership, compliance, clinical enterprise, population health, quality, and operational stakeholders to manage legal and regulatory risk while advancing the organization's clinical, academic, and strategic objectives. This role is responsible for collaborating with Vanderbilt Health departments and divisions, delivering timely legal guidance advising on compliance matters that impact Vanderbilt Health, and for collaborating as an active and engaged team member in support of the Office of Legal Affairs. The successful candidate will be a strategic thinker, an approachable adviser, and a collaborative relationship-builder who thrives in an intellectually challenging environment and demonstrates alignment with Vanderbilt Health’s values.

Requirements

JD degree from an ABA accredited law school.
Employment contingent upon State of Tennessee licensure or registration and receipt of In-House Counsel Practice Certificate. The successful candidate must also apply for and become licensed in the State of Tennessee within 12 months of employment or, if earlier, the date required under applicable rules of the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Nice To Haves

Ten (10) or more years of progressively responsible legal experience related to healthcare compliance.
Experience within an academic medical center or large health system preferred.
Demonstrated ability to advise leadership on sophisticated, time‑sensitive healthcare matters.
Strong ability to identify, assess, and mitigate legal risks associated with healthcare matters.
Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, including negotiation and the ability to educate non‑legal stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to build trust and credibility with clinical faculty, staff, administrators, and senior leadership.
Proven commitment to confidentiality, discretion, and high ethical standards.
Ability to stay current with evolving laws, regulations, and enforcement trends.
Experience facilitating policy review, development, and institutional adoption.
Ability to effectively represent institutional interests internally and externally.

Responsibilities

Provide legal analysis and counsel on state and federal and compliance rules and regulations, including, without limitation, Physician Self-Referral Law (Stark), Anti-kickback Statute, Civil Monetary Penalties law, False Claims Act, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement requirements.
Provide support for healthcare reporting programs, including hospital inpatient and outpatient quality reporting, MACRA/MIPS and Alternative Pay models, other payor driven quality metrics.
Provide advice on evolving federal and state regulatory requirements, interpret statutes, regulations and guidance impacting quality reporting obligations.
Participate in compliance reviews, internal investigations, corrective action activities, and regulatory assessments.
Provide support for conflict-of-interest disclosure process including review, analysis and resolution of potential conflicts involving employed and community physicians to ensure compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and organizational policies.
Collaborate with compliance department to provide advice on federal and state regulatory requirements impacting Advanced Practice Providers including state licensing board, including compliance risks related to expired or inadequate licensure, scope of practice misalignment, improper supervision, provide resolution strategies, including corrective action plans and collaborate with other department attorneys to support investigations into potential licensure violations, support compliance department audits of APP licensure compliance.
Provide regulatory guidance to Vanderbilt Health’s clinically integrated network and Accountable Care Organizations supporting value base care initiatives. Guidance includes advising on federal and state laws governing CINs and ACO models including clinical and financial network integration, legal structuring and governance of CINs and ACOs, care management and shared savings distribution models, assess contracts for compliance with fraud and abuse laws, FMV, and commercial reasonableness.
Provide legal counsel and compliance oversight for Vanderbilt Health’s ambulance operations, including both ground and air ambulance services, including advising on Medicare and Medicaid ambulance coverage and reimbursement rules, proper billing practice for ambulance services and coordinating with outside counsel resources as needed to support the work, including oversight of air ambulance services.
Provided legal and regulatory guidance on revenue cycle operations, including patient billing, coding, documentation, charge capture, reimbursement, and collections, to support compliance with federal and state healthcare laws.
Such other matters as requested by General Counsel and Managing Counsel
Participate as requested in support of Office of Legal Affairs initiatives.
Participate in the on-call rotation for night and weekend OLA call coverage.