A partner with the firm, Susannah Vance Gopalan focuses on health care litigation and regulatory counseling, with a distinct focus on Medicaid and Medicare payment, financing, and compliance issues.
Ms. Gopalan 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.
Ms. Gopalan 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, DC law firm primarily in the areas of health care and federal-state programs. During this time, Ms. Gopalan 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.
Ms. Gopalan 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.
Honors/Awards
- Selected to the Washington, DC, Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” list – Health Care Law (2014)
Published Works
- Susannah Vance Gopalan, Co-Author, Legal Limits and Policy Merits of Routine Periodic Rebasing in Medicare PPS Methodologies, J. Health and Life Sci. L. (March 2021)
- Susannah Vance Gopalan, Harvey Tettlebaum, & Camille Lockhart, Strings Attached: Compliance for Long Term Care Facilities In Using Funds From the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund, AHLA’s Speaking of Health Law Podcast (June 2020)
- Susannah Vance Gopalan, Dianne Pledgie & William E. “Bill” Hopkins, Compliance and Ethics Programs in Nursing Facilities: Overcoming Policy Uncertainty and Logistical Challenges to Build an Effective Program, AHLA Connections (March 2020)
- Susannah Vance Gopalan, Co-Author, A Change in Federal Policy Allows Access to Preventive and Primary Health Care Services, Network for Public Health Law Blog (June 2015)
- Susannah Vance Gopalan, Premium Assistance Programs in Medicaid: All Eyes on Upcoming CMS Waiver Decisions, Bloomberg BNA Health Care Policy Report (November 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 Gopalan, Co-Author, HHS Seeks to Delegate Key “Essential Benefits” Coverage Decision to States, Bloomberg Law Reports, Health Law Report (February 2012)
- Susannah C. Vance, An Enduring Fear: Recent Limitations on the Past Persecution Ground for Asylum, 91 Ky. L. J. 957 (2003)
Previous Experience
- 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)