Sara Kay Wheeler practices exclusively in the area of health law where she advises a diverse array of organizations including health systems, academic medical centers, health plans, faculty practice plans and entities involved in the drug delivery system, including retail pharmacies (chain pharmacies and large retailers with pharmacy operations), specialty pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers and retail clinics. She has extensive experience in the creation and implementation of corporate compliance programs and investigations, government contractor audits (including RACs, MACs, MICs, PSCs and ZPICs), Medicare regulation (including Medicare Part D issues), Medicaid regulation (including audit and enforcement matters), fraud and abuse concerns, internal investigations, voluntary disclosure strategies, clinical research compliance, privacy matters and managed care arrangements. Ms. Wheeler also works with King & Spalding’s Special Matters Group to defend healthcare providers that are investigated by federal and state enforcement entities. Ms. Wheeler has authored numerous publications in the healthcare trade press and regularly speaks on a wide variety of industry topics.

Ms. Wheeler is currently serving as a Director on the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) Board of Directors and is a past president of the Georgia Academy of Healthcare Attorneys. She also chaired the Advisory Council for the Health Law Partnership (HeLP), a collaboration among the Georgia State University College of Law, the Atlanta Legal Aid Society and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

Awards and Recognitions

• Best Lawyers in America (2006 - 2010)
  
  
• Georgia Super Lawyers (2006 - 2010)
  
  
• Georgia Super Lawyers' Rising Stars (2005 & 2006)
  
  
• Chambers USA (2007 - 2009)
  
  
• Nightingale’s “Outstanding Hospital Lawyers” List (2008)

• American Health Lawyers Association
  
  
• Moderator, AHLA Compliance List Serve
  
  
• Atlanta Speech School Guild, Volunteer and Board Member, 2002-2005; Gala Co-Chair, 2004
  
  
• Georgia Academy of Healthcare Attorneys
  
  
• Past President, 2007-2008; President, 2006-2007; President-Elect, 2005-2006; Secretary/Treasurer, 2004-2005; Board of Directors, 2001-2005
  
  
• Member, 1992-Present
  
  
• Health Care Compliance Association
  
  
• Board of Directors, 2009-2012
  
  
• Co-Chair, Southeast Regional Conference, 2006-2011
  
  
• Health Law Partnership (HeLP), Chair, Advisory Council, 2004-2006
  
  
• The Junior League of Atlanta, Atlanta Speech School Liaison 2006-2007; District Chair, 2004-2005; District Chair-elect, 2003-2004; District Advisor, 1998-2004; Member, 1994-2005
  
  
• National Association for Medicaid Program Integrity (NAMPI), Member, 2009 - Present
  
  
• The American Association of Nurse Attorneys, Member, 1997-2005
  
  
• The University of Pennsylvania, Alumni Secondary School Committee
  
  
• Wake Forest Law Alumni Council

• January 2010 HCCA Compliance Today, “2010 OIG Work Plan: Providing the Script for OIG Review,” co-authored with Tizgel High
  
  
• “A Compliance Officer’s Guide to the Stark Laws and Regulations,” The Health Care Compliance Professional’s Manual, Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA), co-authored with Kim Roeder, Kate Stern and Kinshasa Williams, July 2009
  
  
• "Medicaid Integrity Are You Ready for the MIC Movement?" Dennis Barry's Reimbursement Advisor co-authored with Tizgel High, October 2009
  
  
• 18th Annual King & Spalding Health Law and Policy Forum: “Hot Topics” In Healthcare Fraud Enforcement - Administrative. Interview with Kim Roeder, The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel magazine, April 2009.
  
  
• “Understanding the Golden Carrot: Voluntary Disclosure Strategies after the April 15, 2008, OIG Open Letter,” Journal of Health Care Compliance, co-authored with Tizgel High, Sept/Oct, 2008.
  
  
• “Medicaid Auditors Soon to Follow RACs,” HcPro, Inc.’s Healthcare Auditing Weekly, September 2008
  
  
• “CMS Sheds Light on the New Medicaid World,” AHLA Member Briefing, November 2007
  
  
• "CMS Posts Enforcement, Audit and Corrective Action Plan Summaries," PoGo Alert, co-authored with Kim Roeder, October 2007
  
  
• "Establishing Physician Protocols," Counsel to Counsel Magazine, co-authored with Kim Roeder, October 2007
  
  
• "Proposed Stark Amendment Targets Physician-Owned Hospitals," PoGo Alert, co-authored with Kinshasa Williams, August 2007
  
  
• "Medicaid Enforcement Amidst the Perfect Storm," Journal of Health Care Compliance, co-authored with Tizgel High, July - August 2007
  
  
• "CMS Document Sheds Light On The New Medicaid World," AHLA.com, co-authored with Sandra Herron, July 2007
  
  
• "Chapter Five of CMS' Prescription Drug Benefit Manual: Benefits and Beneficiary Protections," American Health Lawyers Association Member Briefing, co-authored with Benjamin Erwin, May 2007

• “RACs, MICs, ZPICs: How Deep and High is the Audit Pile?” American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA) Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, co-presented with Joanne B. Erde, (Duane Morris), Ronald S. Connelly, Principal, (Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville PC), June 27-June 30, 2010
  
  
• "Medicaid Integrity Contractors: Best Practices to Prepare and Appeal." HCPro, Inc. Live Audio-conference, May 17, 2010
  
  
• “The Compliance Department and MIC Audits,” Arkansas Hospital Association’s 2010 Compliance Forum, Little Rock, AR, May 5, 2010
  
  
• “Update on RACs, MICs, ZPICs and Other Contractors,” Health Care Financial Management (HFMA) Annual Conference (Hawaii Chapter), Honolulu, HI, April 27 - 28, 2010
  
  
• “Medicaid Integrity Contractors: Lessons Learned from Provider Experiences,” HCPro, Inc. Live Audio-conference, May 17, 2010
  
  
•  “The Compliance Department and MIC Audits,” Arkansas Hospital Association’s 2010 Compliance Forum, Little Rock, AR, May 5, 2010
  
  
• “Revenue Integrity and Safeguarding: Comprehensive Strategies for Contractor Combat (RACs, MICs, ZPICs and Others,)” HCCA Compliance Institute, Dallas, Texas, co-presented with Christopher Thomason (Vanderbilt University Medical Center “Managing Medicaid MIC Audits and Appeals, An Operational Guide,” Compliance 360 Webinar, March 23, 2010
  
  
• “The Evolving Landscape of Government Audits and Investigations: Are You Prepared for Contractor Combat?” King & Spalding Annual Healthcare Forum, co-presented with Glen Moyers, KPMG, March 15, 2010
  
  
• “The Medicaid Integrity Program and Medicaid Integrity Contractors,” Health Care Conference Administrators, L.L.C., The Third National Medicare RAC Summit, Washington, D.C., March 4, 2010
  
  
• “The Government Contractor Conundrum:  Questions and Answers,”  Health Care Compliance Association Southeast Regional Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, co-presented with Curtis Watkins (AdvanceMed Corporation), Elizabeth Schoen (Georgia Hospital Association) and Stephen Johnson (Erlanger Health System), January 15, 2010
  
  
• “FDA’s New Final Rule on Expanded Access to Experimental Drugs:  What Providers Need to Know Now, Managing Risks of Patient Expectations for Access,” King & Spalding Roundtable, Atlanta, Georgia, November 20, 2009
  
  
• "Revenue Integrity: Preparing for Contractor Combat," East Tennessee Fraud Working Group 2009 Fall Compliance Conference, October 21, 2009
  
  
• "Medicaid Integrity Contractor Audits:  Know What to Expect and How to Prepare," HCPro, Inc. Live Audio-conference, co-presented with Jim Sheehan (New York Medicaid Inspector General), October 15, 2009
  
  
• "Compliance Officer Roundtable - Advanced Compliance Topics," AHLA/HCCA Fraud and Compliance Forum, Planning Committee Member and Speaker, co-presented with Kim Lansford, Catholic Health East, and Alana Sullivan, Erlanger Health System, October 4-6, 2009
  
  
• "Important Developments in Voluntary Disclosure Strategies," HCCA/SCCE Audio Web Conference, Joint Presentation with Susan L. Walberg, MedStar Health System, May 14, 2009
  
  
• “A ‘Perfect Storm’ in Fraud Enforcement?  False Claims Act Expansion, Audit Contractor Employment, Self-Disclosure Developments and Fortified Enforcement Priorities,” King & Spalding Roundtable, Atlanta, GA, co-presented with Chris Burris, Steve Cowen, Mike Paulhus, Kim Roeder and Rick Shackelford, July 17, 2009
  
  
• "Recent Developments in Voluntary Disclosure Strategies," HCCA 13th Annual Compliance Institute, co-presented with Tamar V. Terzian, Esq., Office of the Inspector General and David M. Glaser, Esq., Fredrikson & Byron, April 26-29, 2009
  
  
• “Hot Topics in Healthcare Fraud Enforcement,” King & Spalding Annual Healthcare Forum, co-presented with Steve Cowen, King & Spalding, Kim Roeder, King & Spalding, February 17, 2009
  
  
• “Medicaid Risk Areas: Strategies for Auditing Enforcement Targets,” HCPro, Inc. Live Audioconference, Joint presentation with Brian Flood, KPMG, January 29, 2009
  
  
• “Voluntary Disclosure Strategies,” Health Care Compliance Association Southeast Regional Meeting, co-presented with Robert Finlayson, Inspector General, Georgia Dept. of Community Health and Amy Berne, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia, January 9, 2009
  
  
• “Medicare Part D: How to Ensure Your Appeals, Grievances, Determinations and Reconsiderations Meet CMS Requirements,” Health Care Compliance Association Medicare Prescription Drug Part D Compliance Conference, co-presented with Kirk Dobbins, King & Spalding LLP, December 7-9, 2008
  
  
• “Getting Ahead and Staying Ahead of Medicare RACs and Other Program Integrity Contractors,” King & Spalding Roundtable, co-presented with Richard Shackelford, Kirk Dobbins, Laura Loeb and Stephanie Webster, King & Spalding LLP, October 20, 2008
  
  
• “Current Legal Issues in Clinical Research,” King & Spalding LLP Drug & Device Roundtable, co-presented with Kirk Dobbins, Kim Roeder, Laura Loeb and Beverly Lorell, King & Spalding, June 27, 2008
  
  
• “Treatment for Sale:  Rethinking Provider-Vendor Relationships,” GAHA Health Law Update and Annual Meeting, May 7, 2008
  
  
• Health Care Compliance Association's 12th Annual Compliance Institute “Identifying and Controlling Individual and Institutional Conflicts of Interest,” New Orleans, LA,  April 13-16, 2008.  co-presented with Sylvia Friedl, Research Compliance Officer, University of Tennessee College of Medicine
  
  
• “Advanced Compliance 2008 Challenges and Strategies,” HCCA Southeast Local Annual Conference, February 29, 2008
  
  
• “Clinical Research:  Responsibility, Liability and Credibility,” UTCOM, Chattanooga, TN Annual Research Compliance Update, February 28, 2008
  
  
• “Medicaid Compliance:  Strategies to Assess the Top Risk Areas, HCPro, Inc. Live Audioconference, co-presented with Michael Mangano and David Butler, Strategic Management Systems, February 20, 2008
  
  
• “2008 Medicaid Update:  Enforcement and Regulatory Developments,” HFMA Winter Institute, January 24-25 2008
  
  
• "Compliance Update," East Tennessee Fraud Working Group Tennessee Hospital Association Fall Compliance Conference, October 2007
  
  
• "Medicaid Compliance: Get Ready for the Enforcement Revolution," HCPro, Inc. Audioconference, Joint presentation with Doug Colburn of OIG and Rebekah Casteel Latchis of Bon Secours, August 2007
  
  
• "Clinical Research Compliance: Hospital Assessment and Integration Strategies," Georgia Hospital Association's Compliance Officer Roundtable, July 2007
  
  
• "Regulatory and Enforcement Update: Medicare Part D," Financial Research Associates, LLC's, Medicare Compliance and Operations Summit 2007, July 2007
  
  
• "Managing Compliance Investigations," Blue Cross Blue Shield 2007 Compliance and Ethics Conference, June 2007
  
  
• "Practical Effects of the DRA: Medicaid Enforcement Developments and Compliance Strategies," HCCA's 11th Annual Compliance Institute, April 2007
  
  
• "Medicaid Integrity in 2007: Is Your House in Order?," HCCA Southeast Local Annual Conference, February 2007