Lara is a trusted advisor to clients ranging from traditional health care providers to disrupter digital health platforms as they navigate the practical and regulatory challenges of health care innovation. Her unique depth of knowledge across HIPAA privacy and other regulatory issues governing the use of data, state and federal fraud and abuse laws, business planning and operational issues has led colleagues to describe Lara as the “Swiss Army knife” of health care problem-solving.
Working at the intersection of health care and technology, Lara counsels telemedicine and other digital health clients on business plan strategy and implementation, state-specific telemedicine regulation, corporate practice of medicine, the scope of practice, fee splitting, anti-kickback, reimbursement, and other health care regulatory issues. Leveraging her prior in-house experience at two nonprofit health systems, she also advises health care providers on the incorporation of telehealth and other technology infrastructures, which has seen a vast uptick as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lara advises health care providers, clinical trials companies, ancillary providers, technology start-ups, HMOs, insurance companies, and large technology companies on HIPAA and other health data privacy and security regulations, including developing and implementing HIPAA compliance programs. She has also led significant HIPAA breach investigations, advising clients on risk management and mitigation efforts.
Prior to joining Mintz, Lara was a partner at a boutique health care law firm, where she helped lead the regulatory practice, guiding clients not only on risk avoidance but also on essential challenges of growth, including the transition to value-based care arrangements and the development of new health technology and digital health–related products and services. She also served as an in house attorney at two nonprofit health systems, Sutter Health and Community Medical Centers, where she advised extensively on Anti-Kickback, Stark Law, day-to-day operational risk and cost control management as well as creating, evaluating and implementing internal policies, compliance programs, and marketing and training initiatives.
Lara is regularly invited to speak on challenges facing the health care industry, including HIPAA and other regulatory issues.
She maintains an active pro bono practice and has been recognized as a Pro Bono Champion by the American Health Lawyers Association.
A member of the LA Tri Club, Lara trains as a triathlete, runs several triathlons a year, and competes in the 70.3-mile Half Ironman.
