Stephen Bittinger is an attorney with the Nexsen Pruet’s Health Care Practice Group. Stephen has a unique, national practice in health care reimbursement defense and litigation. Stephen’s team has represented numerous types of physician practices, home health agencies, medical facilities, ancillary service providers, medical laboratories, revenue cycle management companies, and drug/device manufacturers in Medicare audits (RAC, ZPIC, UPIC, TPE), Medicaid audits (SIU), private payors audits, federal regulatory termination and exclusion proceedings (OIG, AG, private), False Claims Act defense and prosecution, and litigation related to the health care revenue cycle.
Stephen’s health care reimbursement team has developed strategies for defending and appealing RAC, ZPIC, UPIC, and private payor audits and overpayment demands that have garnered national attention, led to collaborative work with government regulators, health care provider associations, and health care law firms across the country. He has also served as an expert witness on Medicare reimbursement and regulatory matters.
- University of Akron School of Law, J.D.
- John Carroll University, M.A.
- Kent State University, B.S.
- District of Columbia
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio
- United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- United States Court of Federal Claims
*Mr. Bittinger is not currently licensed to practice law in South Carolina.
- American Health Lawyers Association
- Christian Legal Society
- The Federalist Society
- South Carolina Rising Star for 2019 in Health Care Law by Super Lawyers Magazine
- Ohio Rising Star for 2016, 2017 and 2018 in Health Care Law by Super Lawyers Magazine
- Listed, Charleston Business Magazine's Legal Elite of the Low Country - Health Care, 2018
- Kent State University, B.S.
- Honors Degree
- Mid-American Conference Presidential Scholar Athlete
- President's List
- Dean's List
- NCAA Division I Varsity Wrestling Letterman (four times)
- University of Akron School of Law, J.D.
- Litigation Certificate in Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution
- Dean's List
- CALI National Merit Award in Advanced Trial Advocacy
- Federal Civil Rights Practicum (Chief Judge James G. Carr, Ohio Northern District)
- John Carroll University, M.A.
- Teaching Scholars Award
Overview
Stephen Bittinger is an attorney with the Nexsen Pruet’s Health Care Practice Group. Stephen has a unique, national practice in health care reimbursement defense and litigation. Stephen’s team has represented numerous types of physician practices, home health agencies, medical facilities, ancillary service providers, medical laboratories, revenue cycle management companies, and drug/device manufacturers in Medicare audits (RAC, ZPIC, UPIC, TPE), Medicaid audits (SIU), private payors audits, federal regulatory termination and exclusion proceedings (OIG, AG, private), False Claims Act defense and prosecution, and litigation related to the health care revenue cycle.
Stephen’s health care reimbursement team has developed strategies for defending and appealing RAC, ZPIC, UPIC, and private payor audits and overpayment demands that have garnered national attention, led to collaborative work with government regulators, health care provider associations, and health care law firms across the country. He has also served as an expert witness on Medicare reimbursement and regulatory matters.
- American Health Lawyers Association
- Christian Legal Society
- The Federalist Society
- South Carolina Rising Star for 2019 in Health Care Law by Super Lawyers Magazine
- Ohio Rising Star for 2016, 2017 and 2018 in Health Care Law by Super Lawyers Magazine
- Listed, Charleston Business Magazine's Legal Elite of the Low Country - Health Care, 2018
- Kent State University, B.S.
- Honors Degree
- Mid-American Conference Presidential Scholar Athlete
- President's List
- Dean's List
- NCAA Division I Varsity Wrestling Letterman (four times)
- University of Akron School of Law, J.D.
- Litigation Certificate in Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution
- Dean's List
- CALI National Merit Award in Advanced Trial Advocacy
- Federal Civil Rights Practicum (Chief Judge James G. Carr, Ohio Northern District)
- John Carroll University, M.A.
- Teaching Scholars Award
Speaking & Writing
- “Medicare Payment Freeze Tactics Stymied by Small Health Practices” – Nexsen Pruet’s Stephen Bittinger on federal courts granting preliminary injunctions for smaller health care providers awaiting hearings on Medicare reimbursement appeals
October 19, 2018 - Stephen Bittinger Joins Nexsen Pruet’s Charleston Office
January 3, 2018
- Are Hospital Physician Networks Ready for TPE Audits?
August 14, 2019 - Cooperation Credit in False Claims Act Defense and the Potential Impact of Reimbursement Analysis and Compliance
June 27, 2019 - Current Payor Audits & Defending Them
June 25, 2019 - Medicare’s Bloodhound in the Southeast: SGS gets the UPIC Auditing Contract
May 20, 2019 - Stem Cell Recall and Legal Risks
May 10, 2019 - Chapter 11 Relief for a CMS Debt on Appeal?
September 19, 2018 - Litigators obtain Temporary Restraining Order against federal government relative to Medicare overpayment appeals
August 27, 2018 - Alert: NCI Awarded Payment Error Rate Measurement Review Contractor (PERM RC) by HHS
June 28, 2018 - Three Strikes and You're Out: CMS Targeted Probe and Educate (TPE) Process
May 3, 2018 - Creativity Over Hammers
April 26, 2018 - UPIC Revolution: CMS Integrity Auditors 2.0
April 13, 2018 - How to Stop a Steam Roller: Defending the Veterans Affairs Audit by CGI Federal
March 22, 2018 - Tales of Two Fraud Investigations Terminated and the Lives Blessed by Truth
February 12, 2018 - What the Blazes is a Healthcare Reimbursement Attorney, Anyway?
January 30, 2018
- Are Hospital Physician Networks Ready for TPE Audits?: South Carolina Hospital Association CFO Forum (August 14, 2019)
- Current Payor Audit Mechanisms & How to Defend Against Them: South Carolina Academy of Family Physicians Summer Break Away & 70th Annual Assembly (June 11, 2018)
- Reimbursement Compliance and Audit Prevention 101: Symposium on Hyperbaric Medicine (March 17, 2018)
- Current Payor Audit Mechanics and How to Defend Against Them: South Carolina Medical Association Health Law Symposium (February 16, 2018)
- The UPIC Revolution: The Next Generation of CMS Auditors, Ohio Council for Home Care and Hospice (September 20, 2017)
- Improper Retention of Overpayments: Reverse False Claims and Private Payor Policies, First Health Care Compliance (September 12, 2017)
- HIPAA: Law Firm Liability and Compliance, Ohio Association of Justice (May 4, 2017)
- Tackling Top Compliance Concerns, HealthSource SuperCamp 2017 (March 17, 2017)
- The UPIC is Coming: CMS Auditors 2.0, First Health Care Compliance (October 2016)
- When the Auditor Comes Knocking, Compliance Today, Health Care Compliance Association (October 2016)
- Proactive Audit Defense & Reimbursement, HealthSource Chiropractic (June 21, 2016)
- Real World Legal for Chiropractic Practices, Guest Lecturer at Life University (June 10, 2016)
- Home Health Audit Defense: ZPICs, SMRC, and OIG, Oh My, Health Care Compliance Association (May 16, 2016)
- ZPIC Auditor Raid: Defense and Compliance Tactics, Health Care Compliance Association (May 5, 2016)
- Medicare Audit Defense: The OIG Work Plan FY2015, First Healthcare Compliance, Inc. (Nov. 12, 2015)
- Medicare and Medicaid Audit Defense in Eldercare, Eldercare Professionals of Ohio, LLC (Oct. 9, 2015)
Outside Nexsen Pruet
Stephen has been married to the love of his life and best friend, Jenni, for 16 years. They have five children. His three youngest children are adopted from Ethiopia and India, which has fueled a great personal passion for adoption and orphan care for his family. Stephen is the founder and president of Scion Tree, Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping adoptive families and orphaned children through assisting adoptive families with funding and information, providing direct care for orphaned children domestically and abroad, and by advocating for the rights of orphaned children in the legal arenas of adoption and human trafficking.
