Associate General Counsel  -  REMOTE

Role and Responsibilities

The Associate General Counsel is responsible for assisting the General Counsel & Compliance Officer with corporate strategic and tactical legal initiatives in the employee benefits industry. The Associate General Counsel assists the General Counsel & Compliance Officer with providing guidance to senior management and with managing the legal function in general. The Associate General Counsel is directly involved with complex business transactions in negotiating critical contracts in coordination with the General Counsel & Compliance Officer. The Associate General Counsel is also responsible for assisting the General Counsel & Compliance Officer with ongoing activities related to the development, implementation, maintenance, and adherence to the organization’s policies and procedures covering the privacy, access, and patient health information in compliance with federal and state laws and the healthcare organization’s information privacy practices.

• Participates in the definition and development of corporate policies, procedures and programs and provides continuing counsel and guidance on legal matters and on legal implications of all matters.
• Drafts various contracts and amendments based on templates provided by the General Counsel & Compliance Officer as necessary for ongoing business operations.
• Assists General Counsel & Compliance Officer with creating new contracts and templates for new business arrangements, programs, and offerings.
• Assists General Counsel & Compliance Officer with addressing requested contract edits to all types of healthcare related contracts, including non-disclosure agreements, services agreements and data exchange agreements (e.g. Business Associate Agreements, Data Transfer & Confidentiality Agreements, etc.)
• Assists legal/compliance team with ensuring that the company conducts its business in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including licensing of all operating entities and state and federal reporting requirements.
• Works with Legal and Compliance Assistant to ensure all necessary contracts are prepared and sent to clients and to ensure such contracts are returned fully executed timely.
• Manages and tracks regulatory matters affecting the organization. 
• Educates staff on regulatory matters and legislative changes and assists in creating client communications regarding state and federal regulation and legislation.  
• Assists with drafting settlement agreements and negotiating settlement matters. 
• Corresponds with administrative and regulatory bodies and appears on the organization’s behalf during administrative proceedings, as applicable.
• Works with the legal/compliance team with various types of internal and external audits, including the annual SOC audits.
• Assists General Counsel & Compliance Officer with responding to and assessing how to handle any reported HIPAA violations, and with preparing and archiving the necessary documentation thereof.
• Works with legal/compliance team, key departments, and committees to ensure that the organization has and maintains appropriate privacy and confidentiality consent, authorization forms, and information notices and materials reflecting current organization and legal practices and requirements.
• Oversees, directs, delivers, or ensures delivery of initial and privacy training and orientation to all employees, volunteers, medical and professional staff, contractors, alliances, business associates, and other appropriate third parties.
• Participates in the development, implementation, and ongoing compliance monitoring of all trading partner and business associate agreements to ensure all privacy concerns, requirements, and responsibilities are addressed.
• Establishes with management and operations a mechanism to track access to protected health information as required by law and to allow qualified individuals to review or receive a report on such activity.
• Establishes and administers a process for receiving, documenting, tracking, investigating, and taking action on all complaints concerning the organization’s privacy policies and procedures in coordination and collaboration with other similar functions and, when necessary, legal counsel.
• Ensures compliance with privacy practices and consistent application of sanctions for failure to comply with privacy policies for all individuals in the organization’s workforce, extended workforce, and for all business associates, in cooperation with Human Resources, the information security officer, administration, and legal counsel as applicable.
• Reviews all system-related information security plans throughout the organization to ensure alignment between security and privacy practices, and acts as a liaison to the information systems department.
• Works with all organization personnel involved with any aspect of release of protected health information, to ensure full coordination and cooperation under the organization’s policies and procedures and legal requirements
• Maintains current knowledge of applicable Federal and state privacy laws and accreditation standards, and monitors advancements in information privacy technologies to ensure organizational adaptation and compliance.
• Serves as information privacy consultant to the organization for all departments and appropriate entities.
• Assists with projects and other duties as assigned.
• Abide by all obligations under HIPAA related to Protected Health Information (PHI).
• If a HIPAA violation is discovered, whether individually or by another, you must report the violation to the Compliance Officer and/or Human Resources.
• Attend, complete, and demonstrate competency in all required HIPAA Training offered by the company.
• Flexibility to understand, appreciate and embrace that this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee.  Duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

What We Have to Offer

Our benefits package is designed to keep our employees happy and healthy - physically, mentally and financially.

• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance
• Disability and Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Remote work options
• Generous Paid-Time Off
• Annual Reviews and Development Plans
• Retirement Plan with company match immediately 100% vested.
• Drafts various contracts and amendments based on templates provided by the General Counsel & Compliance Officer as necessary for ongoing business operations.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Customer/Client Focus.
• Collaboration Skills.
• Communication Proficiency.
• Leadership.
• Problem Solving/Analysis.
• Time Management.
• Project Management.
• Communication Proficiency.
• Change Agent.
• Ethical Conduct.
• Learning Orientation.
• Technical Capacity.
• Thoroughness.

Supervisory Responsibility

No supervisory responsibility expected for this position.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

• Full-time, salary/exempt position.
• Some flexibility in hours is allowed, but the employee must be available during the “core” work hours of 8:00AM to 5:00PM CT.  We cover clients from West to East Coast, work times must be adjusted to cover meetings in all time zones.  Ability to work extended hours, weekends and holidays pursuant with industry demands.

Travel

This is a remote position that may require travel as needed, up to 20%.

Required Education and Experience

• Juris Doctor degree.
• Active license to practice law in the US (must be able to provide a Certificate of Good Standing, upon request).
• Knowledge and experience in information privacy laws, access, release of information, and release control technologies.
• Knowledge and experience in health information management.
• Proven experience as a legal counsel in business environment.
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of corporate law and procedures.
• Full comprehension of the influences of the external environment of a corporation.
• Demonstrated ability to create legal defensive or proactive strategies.
• High degree of professional ethics and integrity.
• Sound judgement and ability to analyze situations and information.
• Outstanding communication skills.

Preferred Education and Experience

• Healthcare law experience

Liviniti, LLC and all entities provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Liviniti complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Liviniti expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Liviniti employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.  EOE M/F/V/D