The U.S. health care system is prone to fraud, waste, and abuse, and whether you’re a health care provider or a patient, the cost can be significant. To combat this, the legislature allocated $5 million to the School of Law for the state’s first legal training tailored to health care providers. 

What’s at stake 

Medical school is required for health care practitioners, but little of their studies are dedicated to understanding the legal system that regulates their field. Although criminal intent occurs, some health care providers violate policies simply because they don’t understand them. Regardless of intent, legal action puts them at risk of losing their licenses, financial resources, and even liberty. 

The approach 

The Master of Studies in Law is the school’s first master’s program and first offering for non-lawyers and was designed to help health care professionals mitigate risk for themselves, their employers, and navigate an ever-changing health care landscape. The MSL covers a variety of topics including risk management, ethics, privacy laws, and billing compliance.  

The law school also now offers a certificate in health care law compliance. Both programs are meant to be completed in a condensed time frame – one year for the certificate, 18 months for the master’s – and are offered asynchronously and online. Neither program requires the GRE or LSAT to qualify.  

What they’re saying 

"This program is about giving people enough knowledge to identify potential problems and take remedial action,” says Mark Yancey, director of graduate programs and professor of practice. “We're not trying to turn medical practitioners into lawyers, but we are training them to issue spot and prevent legal issues that could cost millions of dollars and, for some, maybe even their career.” 

Meet the experts 

Professor Jacqueline Fox is a nationally recognized expert in health care law who has published numerous articles on health law, health care financing and regulation, and health care reform. Fox's work on Medicare has been cited in several scholarly publications and she is frequently sought by the media to speak on the subject of health care law.  

Brad Rostolsky is a member of the Health Care & FDA Practice in Greenberg Traurig's Philadelphia office. He regularly advises clients – including hospitals, medical practices, and pharmacies – on compliance with all aspects of health information privacy and security compliance under federal and state law. 

Denise Simpson has worked as an attorney for more than 29 years, 13 of which she served as an Assistant United States Attorney specializing in health care fraud prosecutions. While assigned to the Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center, Simpson led the Medicaid Integrity Institute, a training team funded by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services that developed and executed online and in-person training for all 50 states. 

Meet more of the experts and learn more about the Master of Studies in Law.