BATON ROUGE – Jones Walker LLP announced today that Jeffrey D. Jeter, former Chief Compliance Officer of Amedisys, has joined the firm’s Baton Rouge office as special counsel on the firm’s healthcare practice team.
Amedisys President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Kusserow said, “Jeffrey Jeter was an influential and important part of Amedisys. He was extremely conscientious in building a very strong and comprehensive compliance program during his 16-year career at Amedisys. He always promoted a culture that encouraged ethical conduct and a commitment to compliance. He did this with hard work and a good sense of fun.”
Jeter brings to Jones Walker a rare and exemplary blend of skills as both an in-house compliance officer and a healthcare prosecutor, law firm reps said. His deep experience will give firm clients greater access to counsel in managing anti-fraud and ethics programs, securing and protecting private information, and litigating cases involving alleged fraudulent activities, they said.
“From my years of experience as a Jones Walker client, I have long known that the firm is an indispensable business partner that consistently provides exceptional legal talent with unparalleled client service,” Jeter said. “I am now honored to be joining this tremendous team and I look forward to continuing to deliver quality and value for all of our clients.”
Prior to joining Jones Walker, Jeter was with Amedisys for more than 15 years as a Chief Compliance Officer. In this role he was responsible for the oversight of the anti-fraud and ethics program for the national home health and hospice services provider. He administered policy development, training, and enforcement for more than 16,000 employees and managed audit oversight of more than 400 home health and hospice agencies in 37 states across the country. He also served as the company’s Chief Privacy Officer and was responsible for ensuring the privacy and security of the company’s protected health information. During his years with the company,. Jeter was primary transactions counsel for 18 merger and acquisition transactions totaling $255 million.
Jeter began his legal career as an Assistant Attorney General with the Louisiana Department of Justice in the Criminal Division, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit where he was responsible for investigating, charging, and prosecuting Medicaid fraud offenses, as well as crimes involving the abuse and neglect of residents of skilled nursing facilities. In this role he drafted the State’s Fraudulent Remuneration (Anti-Kickback) Statute and oversaw enforcement of health care anti-fraud laws and elder-protection statutes. During his tenure with the Louisiana Department of Justice, his agency was recognized as the nation's top Medicaid Fraud Control Unit by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Jeter received his juris doctor degree from Louisiana State University Law Center in 1996, a Masters of Public Administration from Louisiana State University in 2000, and a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Texas Christian University in 1993. Additionally, he is a graduate of the prosecutor training course at Northwestern University School of Law.
"Over many years of working in the domains of clinical practice, national medical association leadership, national healthcare advocacy, and with a large post-acute care provider, I have rarely encountered an attorney like Mr. Jeffrey Jeter,” Dr. Michael O. Fleming, the Former Chief Medical Officer of Amedisys Inc., Past President of the American Academy of Family Physicians, Past President of the Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians, and Founding President of the Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum, said. “His depth and breadth of knowledge of healthcare law, along with his integrity, place him at the top of his profession. Couple these with his communication skills, and Mr. Jeter stands alone in my opinion."
“We are delighted to have Jeffrey join Jones Walker,” Kevin O. Ainsworth, partner with Jones Walker’s Baton Rouge office, said. “I have known and respected him for years and am pleased that our clients will now benefit from his deep knowledge of the essential role that compliance plays in any healthcare organization–from due diligence and mergers and acquisitions to internal investigations to responding to and defending government inquiries. Most of all, Jeffrey understands how to operationalize compliance to turn it from a fearsome risk to a strategic advantage.”
Jones Walker LLP is among the 120 largest law firms in the United States serving local, regional, national, and international business interests with offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, and Texas. The firm provides a comprehensive range of legal services to major multinational, public and private corporations, Fortune® 500 companies, money center banks, worldwide insurers and emerging companies doing business in the United States and abroad.
