Healthcare Pioneer

Day Pitney partner Susan Huntington is a trendsetter in the healthcare legal field. After graduating with the inaugural class of physician assistants to be trained at the University of Wisconsin, she spent 10 years in patient care before making the move to healthcare law.

Becoming a lawyer allowed Huntington to craft a career that combines her passions for helping people and problem-solving. "Working as a clinician provided me with the perspective to develop a practical approach to regulatory compliance, such as patient rights and confidentiality," she said.

Studying law brought its own set of problems to be solved. "I had to learn a whole new way of thinking," Huntington said. "I had always been strong in math and science, which are linear and helpful in medicine to make the diagnosis and identify the best solution for the patient. In law school, I had to learn that there was never one right answer and you had to argue both sides of an issue equally well." She was more than up to the challenge.

After graduating from Georgetown University Law Center with her J.D., Huntington worked in private practice in Washington, D.C. For the next 20 years, she held a variety of in-house roles, serving as in-house counsel at Aetna; senior vice president at Chubb; general counsel for Connecticut's largest primary care physician group; and deputy general counsel at Hartford Healthcare, an integrated delivery system. Her clients appreciate her experience as an in-house lawyer. As noted by the general counsel of Hospital for Special Care, "Susan brings a wealth of knowledge and a practical approach to dealing with legal issues." Says Huntington, "I have a special empathy for my in-house clients because I know the challenges that they face."

In her practice at Day Pitney, Huntington helps healthcare providers and managed care organizations navigate the full gamut of transactions that arise, including mergers and joint ventures between hospitals and doctors, supply chain arrangements with vendors, and information technology agreements (such as electronic medical record licenses) and data use agreements.

Huntington assists managed care and provider organizations in negotiating managed care contracts and advises clients on regulatory matters, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). A large part of her practice involves risk management and regulatory compliance analysis and advice.

HEALTHCARE

Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., cum laude, 1990

University of Wisconsin, Madison, B.S., with Honors, 1977

Admissions: Connecticut, Massachusetts