Title: Partner
Direct: (202) 967-4101
Mobile: (301) 980-1700
Email: tmills@millsblack.com

vCARD: Tom Mills

Tom Mills, Partner

Tom Mills is the head of Mills Black’s health care practice. During his 45 years in law practice, Mr. Mills has represented the interests of a range of health care providers, including hospitals, management service companies, physician practice management companies, major financial institutions involved in equity and debt financing, both public and private, and national associations representing providers of outpatient services, as well as independent providers of such services. These services have included ambulatory surgery, dialysis, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, radiation therapy, home infusion therapy, diagnostic imaging, cardiac catheterization, durable medical equipment, and clinical diagnostic laboratory services.

Mr. Mills has assisted in the defense of several highly publicized criminal prosecutions of individuals and corporations accused of health care fraud. Mr. Mills has argued cases before Medicare Provider Reimbursement Review Board as well as federal district court, and has successfully challenged regulations promulgated by CMS and its predecessor, HCFA, concerning provider reimbursement rates. In addition, Mr. Mills has represented organizations on numerous occasions before federal congressional committees as well as state committees, and has led numerous federal and state legislative initiatives in which he has successfully obtained enactment of legislation or has defeated legislative proposals relating to a host of health care issues. These include Medicare fraud and abuse matters, such as physician self-referral and anti-kickback laws; Medicare provider reimbursement rates; certificate of need legislation; and provider licensure and other regulatory requirements. In particular, Mr. Mills has been asked to appear several times to discuss legislation before the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, formerly chaired by Rep. Fortney (Pete) Stark, a sponsor and primary supporter of physician self-referral legislation. In his testimony, Mr. Mills opposed the breadth of the legislation, and was successful in his request for exemptions on behalf of various providers of outpatient services. In addition, he was integrally involved with the Florida physician self-referral legislation, the most comprehensive of such state laws. Mr. Mills testified before the Florida Health Care Cost Containment Board, which conducted the Florida study of physician joint venture arrangements, and was successful in obtaining specific exemptions under the state self-referral law for various provider interests.

Further, Mr. Mills has extensively counseled providers, lenders and investors with respect to compliance in each of the foregoing areas of law, as well as with respect to false billing statutes. For example, he has negotiated and restructured numerous complex business arrangements to comply with federal and state physician self-referral laws and anti-kickback statutes, including ownership and compensation arrangements between hospitals and independent outpatient providers. In addition, Mr. Mills has been a featured speaker before various groups and organizations concerning health policy matters as well as legal and legislative issues impacting the health care industry. These engagements have included televised panel discussions concerning fraud and abuse laws with the general counsel of the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Mr. Mills is a member of the American Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar. He received a B.S. from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1970, and a J.D., with honors, from the George Washington University National Law Center in 1975, where he was a member of the Law Review and the Order of the Coif. Mr. Mills served as chairman of Fraud and Compliance Committee of the Board of Directors of United Surgical Partners International, Inc. and Mr. Mills is regularly recognized in DC Super Lawyers and Chambers.