DeSantis

Regina DeSantis

Associate
Washington, DC

I help healthcare and life sciences clients navigate the dynamic and complex regulatory landscape.

Regina DeSantis is an associate in Foley Hoag’s Healthcare Department. In this role, Regina advises healthcare and biotech clients on regulatory and legislative strategies for coding, coverage under Federal and private payers, payment, and compliance with various federal and state laws.

Regina works with a broad range of clients in the healthcare and life sciences industry, including biopharmaceutical, medical device, and digital health companies, hospitals and health systems, pharmacies, payers, and physicians. Her work includes helping clients navigate regulations and guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to access coding, coverage, and payment for their medical technologies and services, and advising clients about federal policy changes, such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), including the law’s negotiation process. Regina also advises clients on state-level legislative and regulatory requirements for Medicaid and commercial coverage policies and assists with advocacy efforts. 

Regina’s practice includes counseling cannabis clients through licensing processes and compliance matters with state regulators. Additionally, Regina maintains an active pro-bono practice helping asylees from North Korea, Latin America, and Africa.

Regina has a diverse background in health policy. Her previous experience includes supporting life science and healthcare practice leaders in a large consulting firm, CPT coding and reimbursement advocacy for a physician trade association, data analytics for Medicaid programs and health insurance exchanges, and oversight on government efforts to detect Medicare fraud as a graduate intern with the Senate Finance Committee. Regina’s career in health policy began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she focused on digital marketing efforts for hospitals and healthcare organizations, and she later interned for Malta’s Directorate for Healthcare Information & Research and conducted research on health policy reform to support the country’s elderly population. 

Education

  • Washington College of Law, J.D., 2022
  • George Washington University, M.P.H., Health Policy, 2015
  • Wellesley College, B.A., 2012

Bar and Court Admissions

BAR ADMISSIONS
  • District of Columbia

Speaking Engagements

  • "CMS Initiatives to Advance Health Equity," Foley Hoag DE&I Thought Leadership Series: Summit for Health Equity (October 2023)
  • "LAST CHANCE: Maryland’s Social Equity Portal Closing—Application Portal About to Open," Foley Hoag Webinar (October 2023)
  • “Are You Prepared for Adult-Use Cannabis to Start in Maryland,” Foley Hoag Webinar (May 2023)
  • "New Developments in EMTALA," Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association 2023 Emergency Medicine Update (March 2023)