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Arielle M. Smitt is a member of the Firm’s Health Care and Tax-Exempt Organizations Practice Groups. She assists hospitals, physicians, physician practice groups, social service providers, and other for-profit and nonprofit health care providers with a variety of health care regulatory, corporate, and business issues.

Arielle has experience advising on Federal and State regulatory compliance and government investigations and audits, the Certificate of Need process, licensing, and accreditation, practitioner licensure, Medicare and Medicaid compliance and reimbursement, fraud and abuse matters, and HIPAA and privacy compliance. She also has experience assisting physician and physician practices with medical staff issues, including drafting physician employment agreements.

For nonprofit providers, Arielle also assists with filing for recognition of tax exemption, board management issues, and general operational issues.

Arielle received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Quinnipiac University School of Law where she served as the Executive Managing Editor for the Health Law Journal. Arielle received her B.S., magna cum laude, from Northeastern University. She is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association.

In response to COVID-19 vaccination mandates and employer-mandated vaccination policies, federal agencies continue to issue guidance.  The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) have released additional guidance addressing common employer concerns regarding vaccination status, discrimination, and reasonable accommodations.
Continue Reading Handling COVID-19 Vaccination Mandates: Federal Agencies Continue to Issue Guidance

On January 21, 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order on Protecting Worker Health and Safety. The order directed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to take action to reduce the risk that workers may contract COVID-19 in the workplace. On June 10, 2021, OSHA announced a highly-anticipated Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) setting forth steps that employers in the healthcare industry must take to protect workers from COVID-19 risks while the pandemic is ongoing. The ETS will become effective 14 days after it is formally published in the Federal Register.
Continue Reading OSHA Announces COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for Healthcare Industry