Julie Meadows-Keefe Of Counsel j.meadows-keefe@gfblawfirm.com PRACTICE AREAS: HIPAA/HITECH Compliance Privacy/Reputation Management Social Media Administrative Regulatory

BACKGROUND:


Julie Meadows-Keefe was born in Sarasota, FL and is a native Floridian. She graduated in 1990 from Stetson University in Deland, Florida with a BA in political science. She then graduated from Florida State University College of Law in 1993. Ms. Meadows-Keefe's first position after law school graduation was defending physicians involved in medical malpractice litigation. She continued in private practice until 2001, when she joined the Florida Department of Health as Assistant General Counsel, where she headed the nursing prosecution section. She was promoted to Chief Legal Counsel in 2005 and in that capacity provided legal guidance to many divisions including the Institutional Review Board, the Office of Statewide Public Health Research, the Office of Public Health Nursing, eleven county health departments and Children's Medical Services, the statewide managed care entity providing care to low income children with special health care needs. Since 2008, she served as the HIPAA Privacy Officer for the Florida Department of Health where she had the responsibility for coordinating and assuring HIPAA compliance for 67 county health departments and clinics. She has served on state and national Health Information technology work groups as a statewide privacy expert. She also served as the Ethics Officer and Public Records coordinator for the Department. Ms. Meadows-Keefe also performed extensive legislative analysis on bills affecting the department of health.

Julie's current practice is focused on practitioner defense and compliance issues, with a strong emphasis on HIPAA/HITECH. Julie is passionate about educating providers pro-actively to help keep them ahead of the curve in the rapidly-evolving area of health care technology, health care licensure and privacy. She is available to assist practices in reviewing their compliance policies and providing engaging and relevant HIPAA training. With an interest and expertise in social media, Julie can also assist providers with managing their reputations online and drafting social media policies for practices.

EDUCATION:

• Undergraduate: 1990: B.A., Political Science, Stetson University, Deland, Florida. Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Mu Sorority.
• Legal: 1993: J.D., Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida. Member of Florida State University Law Review and Moot Court team.

  REPRESENTATIVE PRESENTATIONS:

  • Empowering Yourself to Protect Your Nursing License, Gadsden Technical Institute LPN Program, Quincy, Florida (2005); University of Central Florida R.N. Program, Orlando, Florida (2005); Liberty County Health Department (2005); Jefferson County Health Department (2005); Leon County Health Department (2005); Office of Public Health Nursing Conference, Orlando, Florida (2007); Children's Medical Services Statewide Meeting, St. Petersburg, Florida (2007)
  • The Role of the Board Prosecutor in Impaired Practitioner Cases, National Counsel of State Boards of Nursing President's Session, Washington, D.C. (2005)
  • Sunshine for CMS, Florida Department of Health, Children's Medical Services In-Service Training, Tallahassee, Florida (2005)
  • Legal Implications of Medical Documentation, Florida Department of Health Children's Medical Services, Medical Director's Meeting, Orlando, Florida (2006); Children's Medical Services Manager's Meeting, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (2006); Merritt Island, Florida (2007)
  • Flying Feathers and Reinforcing Confidentiality, Big Bend Area Conference on Emerging Trends in HIV/AIDS (2006)
  • Risk Management for Child Protection Teams, Child Protective Team Medical Directors Meeting, Tampa, Florida (2006).
  • Prescribing Issues, Clinical & Preventive Practice Management Summit, Florida Health Management Association, Jacksonville, Florida (2007); Office of Public Health Nursing Conference, Orlando, Florida (2007)
  • HIPAA 101, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, Florida (2009)

  PROFESSIONAL:

  • Florida Bar, Health Law Section
  • Florida Bar, Florida Lawyer's Assistance Board Of Directors (2006-2009)
  • Florida Government Bar Association
  • Tallahassee Association of Women Lawyers
  • Health Information Exchange Coordinating Committee (2009-2012)
  • Health Information Exchange Legal Working Group (2010-Present)
  • Southeast Region Health IT HIE Collaborative (2009-2011)

  PUBLICATIONS:

  • Witnesses on Trial: Judicial Intrusion Upon the Rights of Jehovah's Witness Parents 21 Fl.St.Univ. L.Rev 205 (Summer 1993)

  COMMUNITY:

  • Member 1998-Present
    First Baptist Church
    Tallahassee, Florida
  • Bible Study Fellowship 1998-2002
    Discussion Leader
    Tallahassee, Florida
  • Junior League 1999-2002
    Executive Board/Community Affairs Chair 2003-2004
    Tallahassee, Florida
  • Member 2001-2002
    Chairperson 2002-June 2005
    Local Advocacy Council
    Appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush
    Florida State Hospital
    Chattahoochee, Florida.