Stephanie Webster, one of the top health care lawyers and appellate litigators in the country, has joined global law firm Ropes & Gray in Washington, D.C. as a partner. Ms. Webster’s experience combines private practice with government service. Prior to her practice at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Ms. Webster served as an attorney for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Division of General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Ms. Webster’s arrival to Ropes & Gray pairs a prestigious health care lawyer and litigator with a prestigious health care and litigation firm. Ropes & Gray is renowned for navigating clients through the complex regulatory and transactional issues in the health care industry. In recognition of its stature, Ropes & Gray was named a Law360 Health Care Practice Group of the Year in 2019.

Ms. Webster has earned similar acclaim. She was twice named a National Law Journal Trailblazer—for health care in 2019 and for litigation in 2014—and is a three-time Law360 MVP. Her impressive career includes leading a team in a recent landmark win before the U.S. Supreme Court in Allina Health Services. In a resounding 7-1 decision, handed down in June 2019, the court invalidated substantive changes in Medicare Disproportionate Share payments.

The opinion has been described as a “potent weapon for lawyers in numerous cases to contest the government’s view of appropriate Medicare billing,” giving attorneys “new ammunition to battle False Claims Act cases,” according to Law360. Ms. Webster also prevailed in significant D.C. Circuit litigation leading to the Supreme Court case.

Ms. Webster has represented health care providers, plans and companies in first-of-their-kind federal court cases. On behalf of clients, she has challenged agency action on Medicare, Medicaid and other federal agency programs.

“Stephanie is a best-in-class litigator and advisor,” said Deborah Gersh, co-chair of the firm’s health care practice. “She’s persuasive in court because she’s at the cutting-edge of health care law and, specifically, reimbursement law. She knows the space inside and out, and pairs that knowledge with top-shelf litigation strategies. She will be incredibly valuable to our clients.”

“Stephanie Webster is the kind of lawyer Ropes & Gray is known for. We master the most complex issues for industries that are defined by their complexity,” said Julie Jones, Ropes & Gray’s chair. “Stephanie is a leader who combines intellectual firepower with deep industry knowledge to provide clients with nuanced, sophisticated and commercially savvy advice.”

Said Ms. Webster: “Ropes & Gray is the gold standard when it comes to health care law, and it’s exciting to join the team. The health care industry is undergoing tremendous change and volatility. The entire health care industry is analyzing how Allina may impact Medicare payment policy and litigation. I look forward to applying my direct knowledge of the case and the broader body of health care law to guide clients through this complexity.”