Susan J. Freed

Susan helps health care providers and health plans operate successfully in a challenging regulatory and reimbursement landscape. She approaches each client’s problems with practical solutions tailored to the individual client’s needs. She is praised by clients for her ability to succinctly summarize and apply complex regulatory requirements to simplify decision-making and implementation. Her candid and approachable style has made her a trusted advisor to health care executives across the country.

With over 20 years of experience representing health care providers and plans, Susan has a deep understanding of the health care industry. Her clients include health systems, critical access hospitals, physician practices, long term care facilities and retirement communities, management companies, rural health clinics, and community health centers. Susan also works extensively with employer-sponsored health plans and their advisors, helping structure and advise self-funded health plans, including multiple employer welfare arrangements (MEWA) and association health plans.

Susan grew up on the family farm in Northwest Iowa and is passionate about ensuring rural Americans, like her parents, have access to high-quality health care. She understands the unique challenges rural providers face compared to their urban peers and is adept at helping them cost-effectively address these distinct issues.

Examples of Susan’s recent representations include:

  • Assisting critical access hospitals with purchasing physician practices and converting them to provider-based rural health clinics
  • Helping providers investigate, self-report and correct compliance issues and respond to inquiries from stakeholders and the media
  • Organizing joint ventures to expand access to health care services within rural communities
  • Negotiating complex management and operations transfer agreements for 13 retirement communities and assisting in the coordination and transition of operations across multiple states
  • Structuring co-management arrangements between physician specialty practices and hospital systems
  • Developing Stark-compliant physician compensation methodologies
  • Helping employers establish on-site medical clinics
  • Assisting providers in implementing strategies to address COVID-19 within their communities, including establishing drive-thru testing sites, implementing new technologies to facilitate social distancing, and addressing employee exposure issues
  • Establishing multi-disciplinary provider practices
  • Drafting wrap plan documents to simplify employee benefit administration and reporting
  • Helping providers respond to HIPAA breaches, including breaches by their business associates
  • Developing a retiree medical benefit strategy for a large physician practice

Awards & Honors

  • The Best Lawyers in America©; 2021, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law and Health Care Law. Susan has been ranked by Best Lawyers since 2012.
  • Chambers USA, Corporate/M&A, Iowa Ranked Up & Coming, 2013
  • 2013 Great Plains Super Lawyers “Rising Star” - Health Care
Best Lawyers Award Badge