Ms. Habte provides compliance counseling and Medicare and Medicaid payment advice to institutional clients which include county health systems, hospitals, managed care providers, and a variety of other health care entities. Ms. Habte has developed compliance materials and provided regulatory analyses on a broad range of eligibility, coverage, payment, billing, coding, scope of practice, and related issues. She has particular experience in funding opportunities associated with health care reform and mental and behavioral health issues.

In the privacy, security, and information management area, Ms. Habte has substantial experience in federal health and state privacy laws, mental health and substance abuse records, and other areas. She has focused experience in matters involving breach notification, business associate relationships, and privacy and security policies and implementation. She has advised clients on maximizing incentives for electronic health records and on governance and procurement issues associated with funds available under the HITECH Act.

Prior to joining Foley, Ms. Habte served as an assistant director in the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Before attending law school, Ms, Habte gained extensive health policy and management experience. She worked as research director of the Minnesota Department of Health, where she developed state legislation on rural health, health quality, administrative simplification, and HIPAA compliance. She also spearheaded state-level program initiatives for hospitals, managed care networks, and community clinics.

Ms. Habte graduated from Loyola Law School (J.D., 2007), where she was an editor of the Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review. She earned her master's degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Minnesota (M.A., mass communications, 1992) and her bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from St. Cloud State University (B.S., journalism and mass communication, 1984).

Ms. Habte is a member of the American Bar Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association's Health Law Section, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, and the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Publications/Presentations:

• "California's E-discovery Rules: US and Non-US Impact," Data Protection Law & Policy, September 2009
• "California's E-discovery Rules: US and Non-US Impact," E-Commerce Law & Policy, August 2009
• "HHS Issues Interim Final Rule Governing Security Breach Notification," Health Lawyers Weekly, August 2009
• Presented at the HITECH: What You Need to Know About the Security Breach Notification Regulations Foley & Lardner LLP Web Conference, August 2009
• Presented at the Security Breach Notification and Identity Theft Detection: Putting All the Pieces Together Foley & Lardner LLP Web Conference, April 2009
• "Health Care Boards of Directors' Legal Responsibilities For Quality," Compliance Today, December 2008
• "Quality-based Payments: Incentives and Disincentives for Improvement," Compliance Today, November 2008
• Presented at the AB 211, SB 541, and Recent Enforcement Actions Against Hospitals Foley & Lardner LLP Web Conference, October 2008
• Presented "The Mechanics of Clinical Trial Agreements," at the Association of Clinical Research Professional's (ACRP) 2008 Workshop Weekend, October 2008
• "Business Conduct Guidelines For Health Care," Health Law360, March 2008
• Presented "The UCLA Data Access Center," at the National Academies, Institute of Medicine, August 2005
• Presented "Assessing Disclosure Risk for Public Use Files: Practical Considerations and Current Methods," at the Joint Statistical Meeting (JSM), 2005
• Presented "The California Health Interview Survey: Legal, Institutional, and Statistical Methods for Data Confidentiality," at the JSM, 2003
• Presented "The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act," at the Minnesota Physician Health Care Roundtable, April 2001
• Authored "Rural Managed Care Issues," Minnesota Department of Health, 1998
• Authored "The Need for Alternative Licensing for Rural Hospitals," Report to the Legislature, Minnesota Department of Health, 1997
• Authored "Regulatory Barriers to Rural Health Care," Rural Health Advisory Committee Report to the Legislator, Minnesota Department of Health, 1996

Ms. Habte is admitted to practice in California.