AGG Expands Federal Healthcare Regulatory Platform in D.C. With Former CMS Litigator and Innovation Center Leader David Ault

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 7, 2026 – Arnall Golden Gregory LLP (AGG) is pleased to welcome David O. Ault as a partner in its Healthcare practice in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Dave is a former leader at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), serving as a director in the Division of Financial Risk at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) and a litigator in the Office of the General Counsel. He advises health systems, healthcare providers, accountable care organizations (ACOs), payors, and other industry participants on value-based care, alternative payment models, Medicare reimbursement, healthcare contracting, and regulatory compliance.

Dave’s arrival marks the next step in AGG’s deliberate expansion of its D.C. healthcare regulatory platform. The firm has built a team of former federal healthcare attorneys with experience across the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Inspector General, and CMS. Dave adds significant value-based care, Medicare payment, and CMS experience to a team designed to help clients address regulatory matters involving federal healthcare agencies. He also reunites with partner Andrew Tsui, a longtime colleague from the HHS Office of the General Counsel, who joined the firm in February 2025.

“Dave’s deep knowledge of federal healthcare programs, his firsthand understanding of how CMS operates, and his sophisticated value-based care practice make him a natural fit for our healthcare team in D.C.,” said R. Michael Barry, co-chair of AGG’s Healthcare practice. “His arrival strengthens our ability to advise clients not only on what federal healthcare rules and policies require, but also on how they are developed, implemented, and applied in practice. Together with the broader capabilities of our firm, his agency-informed counsel will provide significant value to our clients.”

Dave’s practice pairs healthcare contracting and regulatory counseling with strategic engagement with CMS. He advises clients on value-based arrangements across government and commercial payors and brings a market perspective to contracting based on his work with ACOs, providers, and other participants in value-based care models. When a CMS policy, audit position, or regulatory approach creates a business issue, Dave helps clients frame their concerns, identify appropriate avenues for engagement, and develop potential solutions that account for both the client’s objectives and the agency’s priorities.

“AGG has built a distinct D.C. healthcare regulatory practice of former federal lawyers who understand HHS and CMS from the inside, within a full-service firm,” Dave said. “My clients will continue to receive the focused, hands-on counsel I’ve always provided, while gaining access to colleagues with deep agency, regulatory, transactional, and litigation experience who can support their broader business needs.”

Dave spent nearly a decade at HHS. As a CMMI division director, he oversaw five active models, including the Next Generation ACO Model and the Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design Model. He also developed new payment models across Medicare and helped lead development of the Medicare Shared Savings Program’s “Pathways to Success” regulations. Before that, he was an attorney in the HHS Office of the General Counsel, where he defended CMS programs in federal courts nationwide, including against challenges to the Affordable Care Act, and served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney.

In recent months, AGG also welcomed Healthcare associates Kathryn A. Boswell Enlow in Washington, D.C., and Keevana E. Glossin and Michael A. Chacon in Atlanta.

ABOUT ARNALL GOLDEN GREGORY LLP

Arnall Golden Gregory (AGG) is an Am Law 200 law firm with offices in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Our client-service model is rooted in taking a “business sensibility” approach of fully understanding how our clients’ legal matters fit into their overall business objectives. Our transaction, litigation, regulatory, and privacy counselors serve clients in healthcare, real estate, retail, technology, fintech/payment systems, global commerce/global mobility, life sciences, logistics and transportation, government investigations, and government contracts. With our rich experience and know-how, we don’t ask “if,” we figure out “how.” Visit us at www.agg.com.