Leslie V. Norwalk, Strategic Counsel at Epstein Becker Green and EBG Advisors, Inc., in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, and Lynn Shapiro Snyder, Senior Member of the Firm in the Health Care and Life Sciences and Litigation practices, in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, were featured in the Nashville Medical News, in “Insights from Inside the Beltway,” by Cindy Sanders.
Following is an excerpt (see below to download the full version in PDF format):
Former CMS Acting Administrator Leslie Norwalk, who now serves as strategic counsel for Epstein Becker Green, and colleague Lynn Shapiro Snyder, a member of the EBG Board of Directors and a senior leader on the firm’s Health Care & Life Sciences practice, recently made the trip from D.C. to Nashville to celebrate the local office’s first anniversary. While in town, the duo took time to speak with Nashville Medical News and offer their perspectives on federal issues impacting the healthcare industry.
Norwalk, who served as deputy administrator with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for four years prior to being named acting administrator during the George W. Bush administration, said she learned a valuable lesson years earlier during the first Bush administration. “Something I learned when I worked for George H.W. Bush in the late 80’s is personnel is policy,” noted Norwalk.
“The appointment of Alex Azar as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services is a prime example of that,” she continued. Norwalk added Azar’s prior work with HHS as general counsel and later as deputy secretary allowed him to hit the ground running. “I think it’s critical at this juncture in healthcare to have someone with that experience,” she stated. “It’s a huge benefit to the department to have a known quantity there.” …
In addition to his experience and expertise, Snyder pointed out another attraction of Azar was that he wasn’t a member of Congress. His appointment, she noted, didn’t trigger a special election in a Senate and House of Representatives with fairly tight majority margins. …
For every new solution suggested, every new regulation put forth, the healthcare industry will undoubtedly look to attorneys who specialize in the intricacies of the field for insights and legal interpretation. Being near the decision-makers and influencers was a driving factor in EBG establishing a presence in Nashville last year. “I call it the Triple Crown of healthcare law,” said Snyder. “We have 14 offices nationwide, but having an office in Nashville, Washington, D.C. and on Security Boulevard in Baltimore is the Triple Crown,” she concluded.
