Sara Avakian focuses her practice in regulatory and operational compliance of health care providers, including long-term care facilities, senior housing entities, hospitals, and laboratories. Clients rely on Sara’s guidance to maintain compliance with state licensing and federal certification regulations.
From reviewing and drafting contracts to responding to surveys, Sara assists with resolving regulatory issues with government agencies. Sara assists providers on all operational and regulatory matters, including:
- Responding to investigations and surveys;
- Appealing survey findings and sanctions;
- Training on policies and residency contracts;
- Regulatory compliance, crisis management, and corrective active plans;
- Drafting contracts, compliance plans, and policies;
- Abuse, neglect, and incident investigations and reporting;
- Life Safety Code compliance;
- Fair Housing Act compliance;
- Strategies for dealing with difficult families.
Sara is also able to capitalize on her litigation background to assist clients with the specialized disputes health care providers face, including administrative hearings before state and federal agencies and in state circuit courts. She routinely appears before regulatory agencies that oversee the health care industry, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Illinois Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, and other state and federal governmental agencies on behalf of clients.
