Introduction of Our New Geriatric Nursing Columnists

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• About the Columnists
• Copyright

Given the current environment of care of older adults, Geriatric Nursing has establish 2 new columns to provide nurses focused on caring for older adults with up-to-date information on relevant legal issues and pharmacotherapy. These new columns and columnists are as follows:

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About the Columnists 

Howard L. Sollins is a principal in Ober/Kaler’s Health Law Practice Group where he represents health care providers, vendors and suppliers including hospitals, long term care providers, ambulance suppliers, medical equipment suppliers, physicians, nonprofits, and others. Howard is active in issues involving government licensing reimbursement and other regulation of institutions and professionals as well as health law issues in business transactions. These include, among others, e-health; privacy; Medicare, Medicaid, and other third-party reimbursement; representation of managed care providers; fraud and abuse issues; negotiated rulemaking; corporate compliance; contract negotiation and health care banking and financing matters. He represents national health care associations in multiple federal negotiated rulemaking matters. Mr. Sollins is the author and coauthor of several publications on law and health care, and he is former chair of the Health Law Section of the Maryland State Bar Association. He has also worked with several nursing organizations to address issues related to scope of practice and reimbursement.

John F. Lessner is also a principal in Ober/Kaler’s Health Law Practice Group. John focuses his practice on regulatory matters involving Medicare and Medicaid issues and state licensure of hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, group homes, home health agencies, laboratories, and other health facilities. He advises and represents clients on Medicare and Medicaid cost reimbursement issues, conditions of participation, certification, privacy, e-health, advance directive, and freedom of choice issues in institutional settings. John was previously an assistant attorney general, counsel to the Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ), and the Medical Assistance Program at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. He has spoke nationally on topics of health law particularly relevant to long-term care such as patient safety, end-of-life decision making, enforcement trends in abuse and neglect, and quality of care cases, technology issues affecting the provision and regulation of long-term care services, and issues involving clients with dementia. He also teach a health law seminar on long-term care at the University of Maryland School of Law.

Donna J. Senft is an associate in Ober/Kaler’s Health Law Practice Group where she focuses on general health care law including Medicare and Medicaid regulatory matters in various settings, reimbursement issues, state licensure, and corporate compliance. She advises health care providers and practitioners regarding billing and reimbursement issues, licensure matters, peer review and professional standards. Before attending law school, Donna provided more than 15 years of clinical and administrative services to the rehabilitation departments in various health care settings. Additionally, Donna provided 5 years of consultative services to the long-term care industry in assisted living and skilled nursing facilities throughout the United States. Donna recently made a videotape to help nursing assistants protect themselves and their facilities from being subject to malpractice claims. It is available through Videopress.

Barbara J. Zarowitz, PharmD, is chief clinical officer and vice president, professional services group, at Omnicare. Dr. Zarowitz is responsible for the ongoing development and expansion of Omnicare’s clinical programs, including the Omnicare geriatric pharmaceutical care guidelines and health management programs designed to enhance the quality of life of residents in long-term care facilities. Before her work at Omnicare, Zarowitz served as vice president of pharmacy care management with the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit where she was responsible for managing the pharmacy benefit for the Health Alliance Plan’s 550,000 members. Zarowitz holds a doctorate in pharmacy from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She holds bachelor’s degrees in pharmacy from both the University of Toronto and the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is board certified in pharmacotherapy. Zarowitz is a member and past president of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and a member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, and the American Geriatrics Society.