Christopher L. Crosswhite practices in the area of healthcare law, concentrating on Medicare and Medicaid law and regulations, corporate compliance issues, Medicare payment and billing rules, Medicare reimbursement controversies and appeals, and healthcare fraud and abuse provisions.

In recent years, he has represented university medical centers, private nonprofit hospitals, for-profit hospital groups, and public hospitals across the country in disputes before the Provider Reimbursement Review Board, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Medicare fiscal intermediaries and federal courts. He has handled numerous settlement negotiations and administrative and judicial litigation regarding a wide variety of third-party reimbursement and payment issues.

Admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Texas, he is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, the Health Law Section of The District of Columbia Bar and the State Bar of Texas.

Mr. Crosswhite is a 1983 graduate, with honors, of the University of Texas School of Law, where he was a member of the Texas Law Review and the Order of the Coif, and a summa cum laude graduate of Rice University.

Representative Matters

Negotiated a comprehensive settlement with the Department of Health and Human Services of federal district court litigation and Provider Reimbursement Review Board appeals concerning Medicare payments for graduate medical education and other medical education programs of a university medical center.
Developed a system-wide corporate compliance program for a rural health care system in the Southeast.
Represented a major hospital association in commenting on and recommending changes to Medicare payment policies of the Health Care Financing Administration concerning interest expense and investment income issues.
Negotiated a comprehensive settlement of federal district court litigation with the Department of Health and Human Services providing for Medicare reimbursement of adolescent education costs for a large group of psychiatric hospitals.
Obtained settlements of federal district court litigation involving Medicare reimbursement treatment of an advance refunding of tax-exempt bonds for a non-profit hospital and of medical education costs for a university medical center by distinguishing adverse Supreme Court precedent.
Counsel to a large state hospital association in obtaining relief for the association's members from restrictive HCFA policies on the patient days to be included in the calculation of Medicare disproportionate share adjustment payments.
Counsel to a hospital in federal court and administrative litigation that resulted in the invalidation of a HCFA regulation restricting sole community hospital status under the Medicare prospective payment system.

Professional Activities

American Health Lawyers Association
The District of Columbia Bar
- Health Law Section
State Bar of Texas

Admissions

Texas
District of Columbia
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Supreme Court of Texas
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Education

University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 1983

Experience

Duane Morris LLP
- Partner, 1998-present
Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., Washington, D.C.
- Partner, 1997-1998
- Associate, 1991-1996
Wood, Lucksinger & Epstein
- Associate, 1990-1991, Washington, D.C.; 1983-1987, Houston, Texas

Honors and Awards

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Health Care Law
- 2005-2006
- 2003-2004

Selected Publications

"The Medicare Bad Debt Moratorium: Still Alive and Kicking," Modern Healthcare, October 2008
Co-Author, "Counsel Interaction with Government Agencies and Fiscal Intermediaries," Health Care Dispute Resolution Manual: Techniques for Avoiding Litigation, December 2001
"Medicaid Patient Days Issues Persist in Calculating Medicare Disproportionate Share Adjustment," Reimbursement Advisor, December 1999
"Court Holds Hospital May Challenge HCFA's Calculation of SSI Percentages Used for Medicare Disproportionate Share Adjustment," Reimbursement Advisor, May 1996
"PRRB Changes Appeal Procedures Yet Again," Reimbursement Advisor, June 1998
"Hospitals Continue to Win on Medicaid Patient Days Issue for Disproportionate Share Adjustment," Reimbursement Advisor, August 1996
"HCFA Issues Manual Instructions for Capital PPS," Reimbursement Advisor, December 1993
Medicare Sends Demand Letters to Employer Group Health Insurance Plans Under Medicare Secondary Payer Program, Reimbursement Advisor, April 1993
"Liability of Acquirors and Other Third Parties for Prior Medicare and Medicaid Overpayments of Providers and Suppliers," Reimbursement Advisor, February 1993
"Necessity and Allowability of Borrowings to Reimburse Operating Funds Used for Capital Projects," Reimbursement Advisor, November 1992
The Best Lawyers in America, 2003-2004, in the area of Health Care Law

Selected Speaking Engagements

Panel Member/Medicare Reimbursement and False Claims Issues, "Business Operations for EMS Organizations," EMS Law and Management Conference, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1999
Speaker, "Charting the Minefield--Risk Areas in Medicare/Medicaid Fraud and Abuse," HFMA/University of South Dakota Annual Quad State Healthcare Institute, Vermillion, South Dakota, 1998
Speaker, "Health Care Fraud and Abuse: Bad News, Good News," HFMA Washington, D.C. Chapter Seminar, Washington, D.C., 1996
Speaker, "Medicare Secondary Payer--Chronic Headache," HFMA Annual National Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1995
Speaker, "Medicare Secondary Payer--Short Term Headache or Migraine?" HFMA Annual National Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994
Speaker, "Advanced Strategies for Health Care Reimbursement," HFMA Seminar, Atlanta, Georgia, 1993