Partner
Suite 1600
600 Jefferson St
Lafayette, LA 70501
337.593.7634 tel
337.593.7601 fax


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Nadia de la Houssaye is a member of Jones Walker's Health Care Industry Team with a specific concentration in telemedicine and e-health. Ms. de la Houssaye's interest in telemedicine began in 1989, while studying the technical and legal aspects of telemedicine's future at Boston University, where she obtained her Masters in Communications Law.

In 1997, Ms. de la Houssaye represented one of the first teleradiology companies in the state of Louisiana, assisting the company's corporate formation, organization, governance, risk management, licensing, credentialing, informed consent, contractual relationships, multi-state insurance risks, peer review, and quality control. She acted as the company's general counsel until 2004, when the company merged with NightHawk Radiology Services, the largest teleradiology company in the United States. Ms. de la Houssaye continues to advise numerous physicians, hospitals, and telemedicine groups regarding legal issues involving risk management, corporate compliance, multi-state litigation, and choice-of-law issues. Her telemedicine background includes issues involving electronic health records, electronic medical communications, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement issues specific to telemedicine, and compliance issues with state quality assurance and quality control statutes.

In addition, Ms. de la Houssaye represents the Louisiana Patients' Compensation Fund in the defense of medical malpractice claims, as well as in the defense of the constitutionality of the Medical Malpractice Act. Ms. de la Houssaye also has extensive experience with traditional health care issues, such as hospital-physician relations, including exclusive contracts and medical privileges and credentialing; certificates of need and licensure; medical coding and reimbursement; fraud and abuse laws, including federal and state Anti-Kickback Statutes; Stark; False Claims Act; health care fraud statutes; HIPAA; reimbursement and claims issues; and Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial payer requirements.

Ms. de la Houssaye's representative engagements include reducing medical malpractice exposure by conducting a systematic audit of the following areas:

• Quality assurance/quality control and peer review protocols that withstand judicial scrutiny
• Medical staff bylaws, rules, regulations, and compliance protocol, with a particular focus on telemedicine
• Physician licensing and credentialing policies, with a particular focus on telemedicine
• Board and senior management involvement and supervision
• Oversight of nursing staff, technicians, and aids under the direction of telemedicine physicians
• The proper roles for risk managers and risk management committees
• Implementation of Medicare Secondary Payer Reporting Requirements

Ms. de la Houssaye is active in a number of health care organizations, including the American Hospital Association, the American Telemedicine Association, and the Louisiana Hospital Association.

Noteworthy

• AV® Peer Review Rating in Martindale-Hubbell

News

• Jones Walker Expands in Lafayette

Presentations

• "Risk Management: Integration of Quality and Risk", November 3, 2011, Louisiana Society of Hospital Attorneys 22nd Annual Health Law Symposium

Publications

• "The Church's Liability for the Sexual Misconduct of the Clergy"
  Published Comment, 39 Loyola Law Review 315, Summer 1993

Memberships

• American Bar Association
• American Inns of Court
• Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce
• Lafayette Bar Association
• Louisiana State Bar Association
• State Bar of Texas