Guided by Expertise: Mobile Healthcare Law, Your Beacon in Legal Complexity
After graduating from UNC-Charlotte in 1994 and then law school at the University of Memphis in 1998, Chris spent several years in general practice before getting his start on the path to a healthcare law specialty. This path began with several successful False Claims Act cases against physicians, hospitals, and a large pharmaceutical company. While working on these cases, Chris was asked to speak at a series of conferences on the topic of compliance and how to avoid F.C.A. liability. This experience caused him to transition from representing whistleblowers to assisting honest providers with their compliance efforts. By 2002 his entire practice was dedicated to the EMS and Ambulance industry.
In 2005 Chris took a position as Chief Legal Officer for EMS Consultants. He acted as in-house counsel for the company for over 12 years, guiding the regulatory compliance of both the proprietary software platforms and the billing division which served as many as 100 ambulance agencies at a given time. Chris also ran the consulting division of the company, providing guidance to EMS Consultant’s customers as well as other public and private ambulance services. He has represented hundreds of ambulance services in various legal matters including Medicare/Medicaid audits, formal OIG/DOJ investigations, State licensing issues, contracting issues, overpayment appeals and numerous other EMS related issues. Chris has won several cases that have had major impact on ambulance reimbursement in the U.S. and has won more than $30 million for his clients over the course of his career.
In 2018 Chris took a position as Of Counsel with the law firm of Page, Wolfberg & Wirth, llc. At PWW, Chris assisted clients, presented at the firm’s annual ABC360 conferences, and acted as instructor for the National Academy of Ambulance Compliance (“NAAC”).
In 2023 Chris accepted the role of General Counsel for Amerimed, a multifaceted EMS/Ambulance/MIH provider operating in more than a dozen locations across the country. Chris also founded Mobile Healthcare Law, LLC, a law and consulting firm dedicated to mobile healthcare providers.
Chris writes regularly for EMS World and has been on the magazine’s Editorial Advisory Board since 2003. He has also co-authored two guides on HIPAA for EMS and ambulance services, one on the Privacy Rule and the other on the Security Rule. Chris has been an adjunct instructor for Virginia College, teaching Legal Aspects of Healthcare Administration and Health Law and Ethics. He is a proficient writer and frequent contributor to various EMS publications, having published more than fifty EMS and mobile-healthcare related articles in his career. He is also a sought-after speaker and a frequent lecturer at State and National EMS meetings and conferences.
Chris is admitted to practice law in the state of Tennessee (federal and state courts) and the 5th, 6th, and 11th U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal.
MANAGING ATTORNEY
Christopher Kelly
DeLesia got her first law office experience at the firm of Garrett & Ray in West Plains, Missouri, in 1994, where she spent over four years as a legal assistant.
After leaving the law firm in 1998, DeLesia began her healthcare experience when Ozark Medical Center was granted the State Contract for Mental Health and she accepted a position as Administrative Assistant to the CEO. In this role she assisted with development and implementation of the program which included an inpatient unit, outpatient therapy, community support specialists, psychiatrists, social workers and overall comprehensive care for the community. DeLesia sat on the Joint Commission and Safety Committees at the hospital. She was also responsible for maintaining the policy and procedure manuals for her department of the hospital system.
After her time at OMC, DeLesia went to work with Air Evac Lifeteam, which was founded in her hometown of West Plains, MO. This experience inspired her love for public safety and mobile healthcare, and started her down the path to what has now been a 20 year career working with EMS, ambulance and fire services. At Air Evac she started as a liaison between helicopter, ground ambulance and 911 Dispatch, and she marketed the Early Activation Program which saved lives by preserving the “golden hour” and getting aircraft enroute in a timely manner. She enjoyed the opportunity that Air Evac gave her to meet people in the industry and attended National/State/Regional conferences throughout the country.
Her time with Air Evac led to job opportunities in the EMS billing and software vendor space, where she became familiar with both billing processes and various ecpr and billing software platforms over the next 10 years. Her work also led to many relationships with State Associations, EMS Directors, private ambulance service owners and county government officials.
DeLesia now has the opportunity to bring her law firm and healthcare experience together into one operation, Mobile Healthcare Law, LLC, where she serves as the firm’s Office Manager.
