Steven L. Johnson

Experience

Steve’s health law practice encompasses a broad range of matters, including regulatory compliance, consent and confidentiality issues, hospital and physician contracting and transactions, healthcare decision making, healthcare employment law, and professional licensure matters. Steve regularly advises clients on complex HIPAA/HITECH health information technology and breach notification issues, EMTALA compliance, Stark and Anti-Kickback issues, involuntary commitment issues, compliance with laws and regulations governing institutional review boards (IRBs) and human research subjects, and Joint Commission accreditation compliance issues. Steve also drafts and advises clients on a wide range of institutional policies on health law related issues.

Before practicing law, Steve was employed as a clinical bioethicist at Carle Foundation Hospital and Carle Clinic Association in Urbana, Illinois from 1996-2001, where he also served as the Chair of the Ethics Committee and held a Teaching Associate appointment in Bioethics in the University of Illinois College of Medicine’s Internal Residency Program. Steve also has extensive teaching experience, and has taught graduate level courses in bioethics and health law at the Muskie School of Public Service, St. Joseph’s College (Maine), and undergraduate bioethics and philosophy courses at the University of Illinois.

Steve frequently speaks at seminars and conferences on health law and bioethics issues, and conducts in-service training programs on a variety of topics.

Practice Specialties

HIPAA, Confidentiality, Privacy and Security (incl. Breaches, Audits)
Contract Drafting, Review and Negotiation
EMTALA
Employment Matters
Accreditation, Licensing, COPs
Professional Licensure Matters
Compliance Matters (incl. Stark, AKS, Fraud & Abuse, Overpayments)
Healthcare Consent and Decision-Making Matters
Medical Staff Matters

Honors & Distinctions

Chair, Health Law Section, Maine State Bar Association (2013-2014); Chair-Elect (2011-2012)
Commencement Speaker of Graduating Law School Class (2004)
Award for Excellence in the Study of Health Law, American Bar Association’s Health Law Section and Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. (2004)
Named as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in the practice area of Health Care (2011-2014)
Named as a Best Lawyer by Best Lawyers in America for 2013-2023 in the area of Health Care Law

Education

Steve holds a B.A. in Philosophy, magna cum laude, from Asbury College (1988), and a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Maine School of Law, cum laude (2004). He also was a Ph.D. Candidate in philosophy from the University of Illinois (1990-1994, 1996-2001), and holds an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Kentucky (1991).