DEBORAH J. WINEGARD

Ms. Winegard focuses her practice on healthcare litigation, primarily representing physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare providers in reimbursement disputes with third party payers, including disputes involving both commercial and Medicare Advantage plans.   Ms. Winegard has also handled antitrust, breach of contract, and ERISA litigation on behalf of medical providers. In addition, Ms. Winegard represents medical societies and organizations advocating for physician interests with payers and government entities.

Ms. Winegard speaks widely on healthcare and reimbursement issues. She has given presentations, among others, for the American Medical Association, the American Society of Medical Association Counsel, the Medical Group Managers Association, and several state and specialty medical associations. Ms. Winegard has also published articles in several publications.

Ms. Winegard’s prior experience includes serving as the General Counsel and Director of Third Party Payer Advocacy for the Medical Association of Georgia, as General Counsel and Senior Vice President for the California Medical Association, as Law & Government Affairs Vice President for four states for AT&T, and as an Associate on King & Spalding’s Healthcare Team.

Ms. Winegard served as the Facilitator for the MDL settlements with Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Capital Blue Cross, CIGNA, Health Net, and Humana, handling compliance disputes brought by physicians who complained that these health insurers had violated the settlement agreements reached in the MDL healthcare litigation.

Ms. Winegard graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Politics from Wake Forest University in 1979, where she was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. She earned her J.D. with honors from the George Washington University Law School in 1982. She is admitted to practice in Georgia, as well as in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia and the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.

Ms. Winegard is President-Elect of the American Society of Medical Association Counsel.  She also serves as a member of the Board of Governors and Chair of the Audit Committee for LifeLink Foundation. She has previously held leadership positions for the Health Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia, the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, and the National Kidney Foundation of Georgia, and has also served on the Boards of Directors for the Alliance Française d’Atlanta and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta.

Ms. Winegard is Of Counsel to the Firm and is based in Atlanta.

Ms. Winegard speaks French.