Jeanne E. Helton

Jeanne is a member of the firm’s Health Care Practice Team. She has experience representing health care industry professionals and entities before regulatory bodies and in structuring commercial relationships that meet complex regulatory requirements. Over the course of her career, she has represented a wide range of health care providers in a variety of matters.

Jeanne focuses on transactional, compliance and regulatory health law matters, including private equity investment-owned entities. She routinely navigates the Florida and federal referral and anti-kickback laws, EKRA, HIPAA, the Civil Monetary Penalties Law and the federal and Florida false claim acts. She also works regularly with the medical practice regulations of individual states where she represents practitioners.

When it comes to her health care practice, Jeanne represents clients across the spectrum. She works extensively with long-term care facilities, health care clinics, pharmacies, hospitals, laboratories, large and small medical practice groups, dental groups, medical device distributors, home health and durable medical equipment providers, nurse registries, entities owned and operated by nurse practitioners contracting with providers to deliver care in an integrated organization. She also advises management companies who operate facilities.

In addition, Jeanne has substantial experience representing licensed health providers facing complaints or investigations by the Florida Department of Health. She also represents providers in connection with licensure issues with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation and the Agency for Health Care Administration, including, when necessary, filing or responding to complaints under the Administrative Procedures Act.

Jeanne strives to consistently provide responsive, timely and economic advice that is grounded in her personal commitment to actively listening to her clients’ objectives and concerns. A collaborator and team player in her firm and with other firms (as the health care component), Jeanne works to offer compliant structures and legal solutions in accordance with the health care industry’s complex regulatory requirements. She also is dedicated to monitoring and analyzing developments in health care law.

A meaningful part of Jeanne’s practice relates to enrollment issues under Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare. She is well-versed in provider enrollment and audits at every level, and she has represented clients facing billing investigations by the State of Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the State Attorney General’s Office and the federal Department of Justice.

Jeanne chairs the Steering Committee for the Meritas Health Care Practice Industry Group for North America. In this role, she works with other health lawyers around the United States and Canada on some client matters and plans educational programs and activities for the group. In 2021, she also was appointed to a three-year term on the Meritas U.S. Leadership Committee and Chairs the Subcommittee on International Engagements.

The Jacksonville Business Journal has recognized Jeanne as a Woman of Influence, an Ultimate Attorney and a Health Care Hero. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Florida Hospital Association Academy of Health Care Attorneys and as Chair of the Florida Bar Health Law Section. Jeanne has written articles and spoken on health care law topics at national and state educational and professional association meetings.

Representative Matters

• Responsible for all aspects of federal and state regulatory compliance actions necessary to transfer two transitional living facilities and a skilled nursing facility to a buyer

• Negotiated a settlement with the Department of Justice for a laboratory billing dispute

• Represented an independent laboratory regarding compliance and operational issues

• Represented an assisted living facility in connection with the transfer of ownership with regard to licensure requirements

• Successfully represented an assisted living facility in connection with the denial of a renewal of an existing license in an administrative appeal

• Represented multiple health providers in connection with investigations by the Florida Department of Health relating to licensure issues based on allegations of misconduct

• Represent multiple health providers in connection with Department of Justice investigations

• Represented a compounding pharmacy in connection with the resolution of a Tricare investigation with the Department of Justice

• Represented an integrated clinic involving divisions including primary care, imaging, laboratory, pharmacy and rehabilitation

• Represented health providers in connection with the buying and selling of medical practices and facilities in connection with regulatory requirements

• Represented skilled nursing facilities in connection with billing disputes with Medicare payors