Susannah Vance Gopalan - Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP

Partner

“Given the complex interplay of federal and state law in the Medicaid program, effective counsel requires an understanding of how the pieces fit together.”

Susannah Vance Gopalan

A partner with the firm, Susannah focuses on health care litigation and regulatory counseling, with a distinct focus on Medicaid and Medicare payment, financing, and compliance issues.

Susannah brings regulatory expertise to bear when advising clients and pursuing litigation on their behalf. She has experience negotiating Medicaid waivers and managed care arrangements on behalf of providers, provider associations, and governmental entities. She represented a group of providers in reaching a settlement in major Medicaid litigation.

Susannah began her legal career as a clerk for the Hon. John M. Rogers of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She then practiced with a large Washington, D.C. law firm primarily in the areas of health care and federal-state programs. During this time, Susannah also provided pro bono legal services to asylum-seekers. This work subsequently led her to work at a national refugee resettlement agency managing a grant program providing legal representation to victims of torture in immigration detention.

Susannah understands her clients’ reliance on federal funds demands far more than a narrow legal understanding of specific programs; effective counsel requires a comprehensive understanding of the policy framework on which Medicaid and federal grant programs are founded. She is driven to apply her experience with these programs to resolve the complex issues faced by her clients.

Representative Matters

Advised a national association of health care providers concerning Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicaid, Medicare, and Exchange regulations
Represented a group of ten health care providers in negotiating their role as patient-centered medical homes under a Medicaid waiver program
Obtained favorable settlement on behalf of a group of eight health care providers in federal and state court litigation concerning Medicaid reimbursement
Advised major urban governments on Medicaid financing issues, including localities’ role in Medicaid administrative claiming and financing of the nonfederal share
Advised consortium of public health organizations on lobbying restrictions under federal grants administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Bar/Court Admissions

District of Columbia
Kentucky – Inactive
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Honors/Awards:

Rising Star in Health Care Law, 2014, Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers
Order of the Coif (2004); Articles Editor, Kentucky Law Journal (2003-4); FLAS Fellowship, Columbia University (1999-2000); Phi Beta Kappa (1996); the Bunner Award, Columbia University (1996).

Classes/Seminars Taught:

AHLA, Public Interest Webinar, Part I: Legal Issues Impacting Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics (June 2015)
Federal Bar Association, Webinar, Health Reform and the Role of Federally Qualified Health Centers (July 2014)
American Health Lawyers’ Association, Tutorial, Federally Qualified Health Centers: The Critical Role of Safety Net Primary Care Providers in the Changing Healthcare Landscape (May 2013)

Published Works:

Susannah Vance Gopalan, “Premium Assistance Programs in Medicaid: All Eyes on Upcoming CMS Waiver Decisions,” Bloomberg Health Policy Report (Nov. 4, 2013)
Susannah Vance Gopalan (co-author), “Medicaid Expansion is on the Way: Recent Regulatory and Policy Activities Impacting Your Health Center,” Community Health Forum (Spring/Summer 2013)
Susannah Vance (Co-author), “HHS Seeks To Delegate Key ‘Essential Health Benefits’ Coverage Decision to States,” Bloomberg Law Reports, Health Law Report (Feb. 23, 2012)
Susannah Vance (Co-author), Managed Care Handbook: A Practical Guide for Health Centers, Nat’l Ass’n of Community Health Centers (Jan. 2012)
Susannah C. Vance, The Permissibility of Incitement to Religious Hatred Offenses Under European Convention Principles, 14 Transnat’l L. & Contemp. Probs. 201 (2004)
Susannah C. Vance, Note, An Enduring Fear: Recent Limitations on the Past Persecution Ground for Asylum, Ky. L.J. 957 (2003)

Past Employment:

Congressional Research Service, Analyst in Health Care Financing, 2016-2018
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Attorney for Access to Justice, 2008-2010
Covington & Burling LLP, Associate, 2005-2008
Hon. John M. Rogers, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Clerk, 2004-2005

Practices

Education

University of Kentucky College of Law, Lexington, Kentucky, J.D. (2004), magna cum laude, Order of the Coif
Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, New York, NY, M.I.A. (2000)
Columbia University, Columbia College, New York, NY, B.A. (1996), magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Publications / Blog Posts

CLIENT ALERT: The 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule: How It Affects FQHCs
November 15, 2018
The Contracting and Community Partnership Toolkit
May 19, 2016
Client Alert: CMS Issues Guidance on Payment Methodologies Under Medicaid and CHIP
May 02, 2016
FTLF Partner, Susannah Vance Gopalan, Quoted in Mental Health Weekly on CCBHC
March 16, 2016

All Articles by this Attorney

Professional Memberships

D.C. Bar
American Health Lawyers Association