Healthcare Litigation, Compliance, and Investigation Forum 2026

David Quinn (Dave) Gacioch focuses his practice on litigation and enforcement defense, primarily related to the US healthcare sector.  Dave counsels hospitals, health systems, physician practices, and other providers, along with payors, private equity sponsors, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, and others involved in the US healthcare system, on compliance and risk mitigation issues.  He conducts internal investigations for clients, and represents them in government investigations, enforcement actions, and civil and criminal litigation, including class actions.

Dave has deep experience across a number of key substantive issues, including:

• False Claims Act matters pursued by whistleblowers (qui tam cases) or government authorities;
• Fraud and abuse issues arising under the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law, and other laws governing federal healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid—especially fair market value (business valuation and professional services compensation) issues;
• Federal and state oversight of controlled substance laws, including defending Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigations;
• Information privacy, cybersecurity and data breach response issues arising under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), 42 C.F.R. Part 2, and other US federal and state laws;
• Website and mobile application user tracking technologies and potential regulatory and litigation challenges to their deployment, including under wiretapping/eavesdropping statutes;
• Conscience and religious freedom-based investigations of providers by the US Department of Health & Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (HHS-OCR);
• Negotiation of, and compliance with, corporate integrity agreements (CIAs) and corrective action plans (CAPs);
• Response to sentinel events, such as allegations of provider staff abuse of patients— including compliance with real-time administrative and criminal reporting obligations while planning for potential investigative, civil litigation, and community relations impacts downstream;
• Compliance with and investigation preparation/defense regarding COVID-19 pandemic relief programs such as the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund and advance/accelerated Medicare payments; and
• Response to civil investigative demands (CIDs) and subpoenas.

Dave works closely with McDermott’s best-in-class Health Industry Advisory team to provide litigation and enforcement defense representation informed by leading-edge thinking on complex healthcare regulatory issues.  As a recent example, Dave co-leads the Firm's Post-Dobbs Resource Center - a joint healthcare, regulatory, privacy and litigation team that counsels clients on how to navigate the challenging legal landscape around abortion and other reproductive health care in the wake of the US Supreme Court's  Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org. decision in 2022.

Additionally, Dave is working closely with McDermott’s best-in-class Health Information Privacy and Privacy/Cybersecurity teams to provide comprehensive, strategic counseling and representation to clients around website and mobile application user tracking and marketing technologies (AdTech)—including defending multiple class action cases brought against clients under wiretapping/eavesdropping statutes.

Dave is one of the leading lawyers in the United States in the area of responding to HHS-OCR investigations, whether based upon HIPAA or upon conscience and religious freedom laws, and negotiating favorable resolutions when such investigations result in allegations of non-compliance by covered entities or business associates. Notably, Dave served as lead counsel in the successful defense of a health system against the first attempt by the HHS-OCR and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division to take conscience-based enforcement action against a provider—securing a dismissal of the DOJ lawsuit and a reversal of HHS-OCR’s notice of violation.

As a former advanced emergency medical technician and ambulance service officer, Dave brings a provider’s perspective to the practicalities of healthcare compliance and risk mitigation, which allows him to grasp issues quickly and to communicate them effectively both to and on behalf of providers.

Dave’s practice also includes commercial litigation and dispute resolution on behalf of a variety of clients inside and beyond health care, including a leading alcohol beverages brand.  Additionally, Dave serves as national coordinating counsel for a building products manufacturer in the asbestos product liability litigation.

Dave regularly writes and lectures on the issues referenced above. Dave also has significant trial, hearing, and arbitration experience, and has performed extensive pro bono work.

Previously, Dave served as law clerk to the Honorable Ernest C. Torres, Chief Judge of the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island.

Laura McLane co-leads McDermott’s white-collar and government investigations practice as well as the Firm’s False Claims Act (FCA) practice, and is a nationally renowned FCA litigator. For over 25 years, Laura has defended companies touching all aspects of the healthcare and life sciences industries in government investigations, qui tam litigation under the FCA, and related matters. Clients call Laura “an exquisite lawyer, very smart and incisive,” a “fierce advocate for her clients,” and “simply a brilliant attorney with a tremendous ability to navigate difficult circumstances.” (Chambers USA). Laura was named Boston’s Lawyer of Year in Healthcare Litigation by Best Lawyers in America for 2025-2026.

Laura’s experience spans the spectrum of government oversight in healthcare and life sciences. Her clients include healthcare providers of all types as well as laboratories, pharmaceutical and device manufacturers, private equity investors, and an array of other entities that reach the healthcare space. Laura represents clients in FCA matters throughout the country, as well as in federal courts of appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States. She has extensively litigated the myriad issues that typically arise in FCA cases, including representing her client in the landmark Escobar case in the Supreme Court. Clients state that Laura is “fantastic, . . . efficient and able to pull in knowledgeable resources right to the issue” (Legal 500 US) and “Laura is clearly a leader in the FCA space.” (Chambers USA). In addition to her healthcare experience, Laura defends clients facing FCA and other forms of government scrutiny in other industries, such as defense contracting and technology.

Beyond defending clients in investigations and litigation, Laura’s practice includes working closely with clients on FCA risk management and compliance assessments, and counseling buyers and sellers in transactions involving enforcement issues.

Counsels healthcare and life sciences clients on government investigations, regulatory compliance, and compliance program development  

Represents clients in False Claims Act qui tam matters, government audits, civil monetary penalty and exclusion investigations, and CMS suspension and revocation actions  

Advises on the Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law, and on Medicare and Medicaid coverage and payment rules  

Negotiates and implements corporate integrity agreements and makes government self-disclosures 

Monica A. Wallace focuses her practice on complex regulatory and transactional counseling to healthcare organizations, including health systems, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, physician groups, dental providers, behavioral health clients, integrated delivery systems, academic medical centers, DMEPOS and pharmaceutical manufacturers and suppliers, home health agencies, and venture capital and private equity firms and their health-related portfolio companies. Monica is a practice area leader for the Healthcare Regulatory & Compliance practice.

Monica concentrates her regulatory practice on healthcare fraud and abuse, Medicare and Medicaid enrollment, reimbursement and billing, legal assessments and audits, compliance programs, and other general regulatory matters including licensure, survey/certification and accreditation. Her transactional practice includes mergers, acquisitions and affiliations, divestitures, hospital/physician joint ventures and corporate reorganization.

Previously, Monica worked with hospital executive management at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics on strategic academic medical center issues.

Advises healthcare providers, from startups to established market leaders, on complex federal and state regulatory and reimbursement matters

Serves as a national authority on the 340B Drug Pricing Program

Counsels clients on fraud and abuse laws, Medicare provider-based and co-location rules, pharmacy laws and licensure, graduate medical education, rural providers, and federally qualified health centers

Advises on the development of innovative healthcare delivery models

Represents companies and individuals in white-collar, litigation, and regulatory enforcement matters, including FCA, FCPA, wire fraud, healthcare fraud, money laundering, and BSA matters

Leads sensitive internal investigations and responds to government inquiries across a range of industries

Tries complex civil and criminal cases and represents clients at all stages of litigation

Advises on compliance program design, implementation, and auditing consistent with DOJ and other applicable guidance

Benton (Ben) Curtis is a former federal prosecutor and accomplished trial lawyer who serves as the co-head of McDermott Will & Schulte's global white-collar and government investigations practice. He draws upon his experience to advise clients on regulatory enforcement and white-collar criminal matters, internal investigations, and due diligence regarding third-party and business transactions. Ben’s efforts touch on both US and cross-border matters, and they often entail providing contemporaneous guidance as to the design, testing, and implementation of compliance programs.

Ben regularly represents clients before, and in litigation against, government agencies, including clients accused of healthcare fraud, kickback violations, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, money laundering, and securities fraud. He likewise regularly helps corporate and individual victims seek redress through civil litigation and, when appropriate, the criminal justice system.

Over his career, Ben has tried more than 25 federal jury trials in district courts around the country, and he leans into that experience when counseling his clients in high-stakes matters. Ben’s capabilities stem, in large part, from his previous 10 years with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which included extended stints in Miami, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles. In his last position, Ben served for almost five years as an Assistant Chief in DOJ’s Criminal Division, Fraud Section, where he supervised numerous large-scale healthcare fraud investigations and prosecutions around the country. He also oversaw significant FCPA investigations related to the entertainment and gaming industries in Asia and a number of insider trading and high-yield investment matters.

Alison is a strategic compliance and risk advisor to Excellere Partners and its portfolio companies, bringing more than two decades of experience as a transactional healthcare attorney and compliance leader. She specializes in evaluating risk and translating complex legal and regulatory exposure into clear, data-driven guidance that management teams can act on with confidence. Alison partners with portfolio company leadership and Excellere’s investment team to align stakeholders around compliance priorities, building programs that reduce risk while supporting growth and creating competitive advantage.

In addition to her portfolio-facing work, Alison advises on legal and compliance matters affecting Excellere Partners’ own operations, business structures, and investments.

She began her career practicing law with McGuireWoods and later built her own compliance advisory practice, guiding growing companies across the healthcare services sector on compliance and risk management.

Alison earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan School of Law, a Master of Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and a Bachelor of Arts from Middlebury College. When she’s not evaluating and managing risk for a living, Alison takes it up as a hobby — logging miles on her gravel bike, hiking with her 100-pound Bernese Mountain Dog, Jasper, and strategizing over mahjong tiles.

Ginger Appleberry is Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Caris Life Sciences where she oversees litigation, commercial contracting, medical and laboratory licensing, payor credentialing and data privacy. She serves as the principal legal advisor on healthcare compliance matters, providing counsel on regulatory requirements and related risks. She also served as Chief Compliance Officer from July 2016 through May 2026.

Ginger has helped guide Caris through a decade of transformative growth. Milestones include its 2018 reincorporation in Texas, workforce and geographic expansion, the issuance of hundreds of patents, more than $1.8 billion in private capital raises, multiple product launches, and its 2025 IPO. Throughout this growth, Caris has remained anchored in its founding purpose. As Founder, Chairman and CEO David Dean Halbert stated: “Caris was built for one reason – to improve the human condition. Through tireless efforts, breakthrough molecular science, and a passionate commitment to quality, we remain steadfastly focused on the most important part of our work – the patient.

Ginger holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. She earned a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School where she serves on the school’s Alumni Board of Directors. Before joining Caris Life Sciences, she was a partner at Locke Lord LLP (now Troutman Pepper Locke).

She and her husband, Jason, have two children, Jack and Nash. Jason is a partner at Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal in Dallas. Jack is a first-year student at Wake Forest University, and Nash is an eighth-grade student at Highland Park Middle School. Jason and Ginger have endowed scholarships at the University of Georgia School of Medicine and Vanderbilt Law School.

Lauren Edelman Willens, JD, CIPP/US is Senior Counsel at Henry Ford Health, one of the nation’s largest integrated academic health systems. She advises executive leadership, business units, and governing bodies on complex healthcare matters involving contracting, technology transactions, privacy, regulatory compliance, digital health, research, artificial intelligence, and dispute resolution.

With extensive experience navigating high-stakes healthcare disputes, Lauren counsels on complex commercial arrangements, payer and provider relationships, healthcare innovation initiatives, research collaborations, and enterprise risk management matters. Her practice includes advising on transactions, litigation and arbitration strategy, investigations, data governance, academic affiliations, and emerging healthcare technologies.

Lauren is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and serves in leadership roles within the legal and technology communities, including serving as the President of State Bar of Michigan’s Information Technology Law Section. She is a frequent speaker on healthcare law, privacy, technology, artificial intelligence, and innovation in healthcare delivery.

Robert J. Rossi  is a seasoned laboratory industry veteran who has served in both legal and compliance leadership roles throughout his career in both the private and public sectors for the past 35 years. Rob previously held the position of Senior Vice President Chief Legal Officer and Senior Vice President Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer for BioReference^®.

In his past roles as SVP Chief Legal Officer and SVP Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer at BioReference Health, he led all legal and compliance functions, advised on mergers and acquisitions, negotiated and managed commercial and government payor contracts, and overseen litigation, managed outside counsel and regulatory matters. As SVP Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer, he built and executed enterprise-wide compliance programs that helped ensure adherence to the Company’s Corporate Integrity Agreement with the OIG, federal and state regulations, and international standards. He led cross-functional teams to implement policies, conducted internal investigations, developed risk mitigation strategies, and fostered a culture of ethical business practices across all levels of the organization. He designed, implemented and overseen a robust compliance and privacy program across the organization. Rob handled government inquires and investigations including but not limited to the DOH, DOJ and OCR serving as the principal liaison to regulators, internal and external auditors.

He has previously served in various leadership capacities, such as Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel, Senior Corporate Counsel and Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer for global and national clinical, pathology and toxicology independent clinical laboratories. Rob also served as Chief Deputy Attorney General, Director of Medicaid Fraud Unit for the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. He started his legal career as a local prosecutor for the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office in Pennsylvania where he prosecuted numerous jury trials including homicides. Rob is also a certified Arbitrator. 

Rob is a member of the American Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Philadelphia Bar Association, Association of Corporate Counsel, American Health Lawyers Association, and Advisory Board of the Temple University, Beasley School of Law Center for Compliance and Ethics. He also serves on the Pennsylvania Bar Health Law Committee, Philadelphia In-house Counsel Committee,  Temple University Alumni Association Grants and Awards Committee and Co-Counsel for Temple University Alumni Association. 

Rob holds his J.D. from Temple University, Beasley School of Law School and B.A. from Temple University.

Ross R. Ronan, JD, BSN, CPCO, CHC, CCEP, CMPE, is the founder of Ronan Healthcare Compliance, the host of “The Compliance Advantage” podcast which ranks in the top 10% globally, a seasoned board member, and a healthcare compliance strategist with nearly 30 years of industry experience.

He has supported hundreds of healthcare industry leaders from companies like Envision Healthcare, Amulet Capital Partners, and Enhanced Healthcare Partners while engaging with entities, including McDermott Will & Schulte (MWS) and the U.S. Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), to promote ethical leadership and ensure operational integrity.

Ross is a sought-after speaker at prestigious forums, like the University of Pennsylvania’s law program, the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA), the American Health Law Association (AHLA), and private equity conferences such as MWS’s HPE Miami, where he addresses the critical intersection of compliance and business strategy.

With degrees in nursing and law and memberships in organizations like the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and the Healthcare Private Equity Roundtable, he is widely regarded by private equity partners, board members, CEOs, general counsels, and compliance officers. Ross can help operationalize compliance to eliminate ambiguity, reduce liability risks, and transform compliance into a strategic advantage.