McDermott Will & Schulte, a global law firm

Ashley Fischer advises clients across all sectors of the healthcare industry on their most critical transactions and collaborations. Her health antitrust practice makes her a valuable partner to healthcare businesses as they work to expand and pursue their strategic business initiatives.

Ashley routinely counsels on potential healthcare transactions and has successfully defended numerous provider mergers and competitor collaborations through federal and state antitrust enforcement agency review. Her counsel, with respect to the antitrust implications of the formation and operation of joint ventures and competitor collaborations, including managed care contracting networks such as clinically integrated networks (CINs), accountable care organizations (ACOs) and independent practice associations (IPAs), is highly sought-after.

Ashley also counsels health industry clients on ongoing conduct and compliance matters, including managed care contracting practices, exclusive services agreements, restrictive covenants, integrated delivery systems and vertical integration, and participation in information exchanges.

Ashley is partner-in-charge of the firm’s Health Practice Group in Chicago. Previously, she served as a member of the firm’s Management Committee and as a vice chair of the American Health Lawyers Association’s Antitrust Practice Group.

Caroline Reignley provides strategic legal, regulatory and compliance counsel to for-profit and nonprofit hospitals, health systems, other healthcare providers, life sciences and technology companies.

Fraud and Abuse

Caroline counsels clients on interpretation and risk mitigation under the Anti-Kickback Statute, Stark Law and EKRA. She also advises on internal and government investigations related to the False Claims Act, Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute. Her extensive experience navigating civil and criminal investigations within the healthcare space informs her strategic approach to risk management in transactions and the development of robust compliance programs.

Digital Health

Caroline advises clients involved in digital health—the intersection of health software applications, analytical tools, medical technology and electronic data assets enabled by the internet and mobile devices—on the applicable legal and regulatory infrastructure, with a particular focus on remote patient monitoring programs. She offers nuanced insights into fraud and abuse issues that arise in novel partnerships and other relationships between digital health companies and established healthcare providers. Her broad experience allows her to deliver practical, forward-thinking compliance and revenue strategies that help her clients thrive in today’s complex and still-evolving digital health regulatory landscape.

Medicare Reimbursement and Healthcare Compliance Matters

Caroline advises Medicare providers, consultants and vendors on a wide range of business, legal and regulatory issues. Caroline has extensive experience advising clients on Medicare and Medicaid fee-for-service reimbursement, billing and coding. She also advises clients on professional licensure, scope of practice, physician and health care professional clinician relationships and supervision, together with overall corporate compliance.

Prior to joining the Firm, Caroline served as a health law fellow for a regional nonprofit health system and as a law clerk at the US Department of Health and Human Services. Her background gives her a deep understanding of legal issues from both the regulator and provider perspectives.