Heather Modiano is a trusted advisor of market-leading healthcare and life sciences industries with deep experience in white collar defense and investigations.

Heather advises healthcare systems, biotechnology developers, medical device companies, and insurance providers to navigate complex government enforcement matters and internal reviews.  She provides strategic counsel to clients across all stages of white-collar legal challenges, including:

  • Internal investigations
  • Compliance program review and development
  • Auditor and Audit Committee advising
  • Government enforcement matters and investigations
  • Government-facing and regulatory litigation

She joined the firm in 2018 after serving as a judicial law clerk to Judge Sue E. Myerscough of the Central District of Illinois. Prior to that, she was an associate in Latham’s Washington, D.C. office.

While attending law school, Heather was the managing editor of the Northwestern Journal of International Human Rights.

Heather has advised on numerous investigations and litigation matters for various hospital systems, insurers, and other clients in issues involving potential Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) violations, Stark Law concerns, False Claims Act (FCA) matters, and healthcare fraud and billing issues, including:

  • Multinational hospital system and healthcare management company with a series of internal investigations of individual and corporate compliance with policies and federal regulations
  • Surgical hospital with DOJ Civil investigation into AKS and Stark Law issues
  • Large insurance provider in a high-profile FCA qui tam lawsuit in which DOJ intervened
  • Market-leading pharmaceutical company in a compliance department review and risk assessment program development
  • Biotechnology entity with an internal investigation of vaccine distribution practices
  • Medical device distribution company in an internal investigation of a variety of healthcare fraud issues, including kickback and billing concerns
  • Ambulatory surgical center with a DOJ Criminal investigation into healthcare fraud allegations
  • Hospital system with an internal investigation of billing practices for services by provider type
  • Hospital system in civil DOJ anti-kickback investigations
  • Medical device services company in a DOJ civil healthcare fraud investigation into Medicare billing practices
  • Defense contractor in an intervened qui tam lawsuit alleging violations of FCA 

Bar Qualification

  • Illinois

Education

  • JD, Northwestern University School of Law, 2015
    cum laude
  • BA in Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, 2010
    magna cum laude

Languages Spoken

  • English