Nossaman Expands Healthcare Practice with Industry Veteran Raja Sekaran
San Francisco, CA — Nossaman has expanded its Healthcare Practice Group with the return of seasoned healthcare lawyer Raja Sekaran, who joins as a Partner in the San Francisco office, where he began his health law career before practicing health law in a variety of settings. In both the public and private sectors, Raja has represented payers, health plans, healthcare delivery systems, medical groups and other healthcare clients.
He previously served as the VP of Regulatory Affairs at DaVita Medical Group and Chief Legal Officer of DaVita Health Plan of California. Prior to that, he served as the VP & Associate General Counsel at Dignity Health, where he was a key member of the Legal Department Leadership Team and the primary counsel for various corporate departments, including Compliance & Internal Audit, Managed Care, Revenue Services, Government Reimbursement, External Audit and Financial Reporting. He also oversaw the company’s efforts in introducing a new health plan and applying for licensure in California, after which he served as the Secretary and Compliance Officer of the health plan.
Clients have benefited from Raja’s expertise and relationships in the public sector. After beginning his health law career as an Associate at Nossaman, he served as Senior Counsel in the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the US Department of Health and Human Services. While there, he represented the OIG in litigation (both administrative and civil under the False Claims Act), provided legal support and analysis for investigations by various law enforcement agencies, negotiated numerous Corporate Integrity Agreements (CIAs), conducted CIA site visits of healthcare providers and provided regulatory guidance through the Industry Guidance Branch, including OIG Advisory Opinions applying the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
"We are pleased that Raja is joining the Firm," said Tom Curtis, Chair of the Healthcare Practice Group. "His years of experience in the healthcare sector—both in government service and on the private side—will serve our clients well."
Nossaman's Healthcare Practice Group concentrates its efforts in the transactional, regulatory, operational, legislative and litigation arenas, and has been perennially ranked by Chambers as one of the leading healthcare groups in California. Over the past several years, the Group has grown its presence in California with a number of significant additions—including Julie Simer and Scott Schoeffel, who joined as Partners in the Orange County office in November of 2016.
The Firm has a rich history in the field, with its preeminence in healthcare law beginning with the landmark efforts of the Firm's senior healthcare lawyers. These efforts include those of former Firm Partner and State Assemblyman John T. Knox, co-author of the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 and the Moscone-Knox Professional Corporation Act and current Partner Richard Spohn, who was and remains outside counsel and collaborator in the conceptualization, regulatory approval and implementation of the first private sector healthcare services exchange, the CaliforniaChoice program, which is today the oldest and largest of such structures.
"The Firm’s commitment to the healthcare sector in California and nationally, incredibly talented team of lawyers and strong national platform are very appealing to me," added Raja. "I am excited to join Nossaman, and look forward to using my government and private-side experience to help clients seize opportunities and overcome challenges in the healthcare arena."
Raja also serves on the Board of Directors for the Elder Care Alliance, a senior living company. He holds a J.D. from Cornell Law School, an LL.M. with Distinction in Healthcare Law from Georgetown University Law Center, and a B.A. with Distinction from the University of California, Berkeley.