Thora Johnson

Thora A. Johnson chairs Venable’s healthcare practice. She provides counsel on regulatory, compliance, tax, and business matters that are impacting healthcare providers, hospitals, continuing care retirement communities, health insurers, group health plans, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and health IT companies.

Thora has extensive experience with both the traditional and the ever-challenging healthcare regulatory landscape, including :

• The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy, security, and breach notification requirements
• State health information privacy laws
• Medicare/Medicaid compliance
• Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA)
• The HIPAA nondiscrimination rules and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations applicable to employer wellness programs.

Experience :

• Regularly structures HIPAA compliance and incident response programs for healthcare providers, health plans, and their business associates
• Often provides guidance on the intersection of HIPAA, Part 2, and state laws governing the confidentiality of medical records
• Regularly represents covered entities and business associates in resolving complaints with the regional offices of OCR
• Helps  clients with investigating and responding to potential privacy and security incidents, including preparation of risk assessments and notices to affected individuals and OCR.
• Provides day-to-day advice on health and welfare compliance to employers, including drafting plan documents, summary plan descriptions, and summaries of benefits and coverages; and negotiating administrative service agreements
• Serves as counsel in lawsuits brought against health plans and health insurers by out-of-network providers under ERISA.

Education :

• J.D. with honors University of Maryland School of Law 1996
• M.A. Middlebury College 1993
• B.A. magna cum laude Brown University 1992

Bar Admissions : Maryland, District of Columbia

Professional Memberships :

• Member, American Bar Association, Tax Section
• Member, American Health Lawyers Association
• Member, District of Columbia Bar Association, Tax Section
• Member, Healthcare Compliance Association
• Member of the Maryland Board for the American Diabetes Association

Community :

• Member, leadership board, American Diabetes Association
• Member, board of directors, Healthcare for the Homeless, an organization providing comprehensive healthcare services and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness.