Brian R. Stimson

Brian is a partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice and co-chair of the Healthcare practice. He represents healthcare providers and suppliers — including health systems, ambulatory surgery centers, proton beam therapy centers, pharmacies, physician groups and staffing companies, intraoperative neuromonitoring companies, diagnostics companies, value-based care organizations, and their investors — in actions to recover payment from government and commercial payors and to challenge government reimbursement and enforcement rules, policies, and determinations before federal and state administrative agencies and in court. He does not represent payors and is regularly adverse to the largest payors in the country.

As the former Acting General Counsel and Principal Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), Brian brings firsthand insight into how government rules are created and how to overturn them. His experience drafting and clearing federal healthcare regulations, advising on interagency decision-making, and working closely with the Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Justice now informs how he approaches disputes on behalf of his clients today.

Brian’s work centers on healthcare reimbursement disputes when payment is delayed, reduced, or denied. He represents providers and suppliers in administrative appeals, agency advocacy, and litigation involving Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, as well as commercial payor disputes. His experience spans audits, investigations, and enforcement actions, including overpayment demands, payment suspensions, provider enrollment disputes, False Claims Act exposure, and self-disclosures. Where disputes and broader regulatory questions overlap, he advises on managed care and government program requirements that directly affect payment and enforcement risk.

Brian regularly challenges government rules and policies affecting reimbursement through the federal Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”) and state analogs. He has successfully contested federal payment rules and secured substantial recoveries for providers, including the vacatur of a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs rule projected to reduce payments to ambulance providers by hundreds of millions of dollars, and government settlements for health systems and pharmacies worth tens of millions of dollars. He represents providers, patients, and their associations in these matters, often through joint or coordinated representations, and engages directly with agency legal and program staff to reach efficient resolutions that deliver both immediate and durable relief.

Brian’s approach is direct, practical, and business-oriented. Whether pursuing payment through litigation, agency advocacy, or the integration of both, Brian focuses on achieving an efficient outcome for his client.