Overview
Sarah Kitchell focuses her practice on transactional and regulatory matters affecting a wide range of clients in the health care industry, including nonprofit and for-profit health systems, academic medical centers, community hospitals, drug and device manufacturers, contract research organizations, and post-acute and sub-acute providers such as home health and hospice providers, therapy providers, behavioral health providers and senior living facilities.
Sarah concentrates her transactional practice on strategic affiliations, mergers and acquisitions, physician-hospital alignments, venture capital investments and complex contractual arrangements. She also represents research sites, sponsors and contract research organizations with all aspects of clinical research contraction and formation of research networks. She also has provided assistance to medical centers and other research participants involving compliance matters, including internal compliance audits and revisions to policies and procedures involving topics such as research misconduct.
While in law school, Sarah was editor in chief of the Boston University Law Review and served as a summer associate at the Firm. Prior to law school, she worked for the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics and at a rural health clinic in Tennessee.
Sarah is a member of the Firm’s Associate Development Committee, Associate Recruiting Committee, and Pro Bono and Community Service Committee. She focuses her pro bono efforts on representation of small nonprofit arts organizations and matters for the Medical-Legal Partnership of Boston.
Results
- Served as co-counsel on multiple physician-alignment transactions involving large physician groups and health systems, as well as joint ventures for the development and implementation of urgent care and ambulatory surgery centers
- Served as legal counsel in the creation of a contract research organization from the ground up, including legal formation, assessment of conflict of interest issues, and drafting and negotiation of agreements with research sponsors, research sites and service providers
- Served on the transaction team for multiple community-hospital deals in the for-profit and nonprofit space
- Provided regulatory counsel in acquisitions of long-term care facilities and skilled nursing facilities, including licensure filings, compliance analysis and transaction support
- Served as co-counsel to successfully defend multiple hospital clients in audits of Medicare pass-through reimbursement for provider-operated nursing and allied health educational programs
- Provided transactional support, conducted due diligence and made change of ownership filings for private-equity backed portfolio company acquiring multiple community-based and regional providers to develop a nationwide network of behavioral health providers
- Served as regulatory counsel in the review and negotiation of clinical trial agreements and other related agreements on behalf of international biopharmaceutical and device companies conducting research in the United States
Recognitions
- Best Lawyers in America, Healthcare Law, 2021-2025
- Thomson Reuters, Stand-out Lawyer – independently rated lawyers, 2024
- Boston University School of Law, Dr. John Ordronaux Prize for greatest overall professional ability
Community
- American Health Lawyers Association
- Boston Bar Association, Health Law and Tax Exempt Organization sections
Credentials
Education
Boston University School of Law, JD, magna cum laude, 2010
Stanford University, BA, with honors and distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, 2003
Admissions
Massachusetts
