Biography
Melissa (Lisa) Thompson advises companies, senior management, and their boards of directors, with a focus on the health care and life sciences industries. She is a member of the firm’s Health Law Group and Data Privacy + Security Team.
Health Care and Life Science Industries
Ms. Thompson represents clients in the health care and life science industries, such as hospital systems, academic medical centers, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, biotechnology companies, and technology services providers. In addition, she represents laboratories, physician practices, pharmacies and retail pharmacy chains.
Ms. Thompson handles a range of matters for the healthcare and life sciences industries, including corporate law and contracting, government investigations and audits, managed care disputes, clinical research law, and matters involving Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). She has extensive experience representing clients on matters involving reimbursement, Medicare and Medicaid, state and federal surveys and termination actions, pharmacy and compounding laws, fraud and abuse, Stark Law, anti-kickback, and federal program exclusions. She also assists clients with matters related to privacy and security, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Ms. Thompson’s life sciences experience also includes U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compliance and regulatory matters, product recalls and liability claims, FDA citizen petitions and appeals, labeling review, advertising and marketing compliance, drug and device reimbursement, clinical research agreements, and commercial contracting.
Ms. Thompson formerly served as chief counsel for the U.S. manufacturing division of an international medical device and dialysis services corporation and as in-house counsel for a major academic health care institution. She is a co-editor and contributor for the firm’s blog on health law matters, Health Law Diagnosis.
Administrative and Federal Court Appeals
In addition to health care and life science corporate and regulatory matters, Ms. Thompson also serves as a litigator. In this capacity, she handles administrative and federal court appeals for matters related to health care and life sciences. Ms. Thompson has obtained results for clients, including prevailing in consolidated reimbursement appeals cases before the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services administrative law judges and obtaining temporary restraining orders in U.S. District Court. Ms. Thompson has successfully helped clients resolve matters through alternative dispute resolution. She has negotiated settlements with the U.S. Department of Justice, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on behalf of clients.
Ms. Thompson also has experience with complex commercial litigation, product liability lawsuits, toxic torts and environmental litigation, class actions, shareholder suits, managed care issues, and insurance coverage disputes.
Arbitration and Mediation
Ms. Thompson assists clients with dispute resolution and provides mediation and arbitration services. She is an arbitrator and mediator with the American Arbitration Association, serving on its Commercial Panel and National Healthcare Panel. She is also on the panel of arbitrators and mediators of the American Health Lawyers Association and has provided arbitration services for consultants preparing clients for arbitration.