Michael Regier, J.D., has been named to the newly created role of General Counsel and Secretary for Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). Regier comes to VUMC from Atlantic Health System where he served as Vice President for Legal Affairs and Chief Legal Officer.
After a comprehensive national search, Regier was chosen for his extensive experience in complex strategic and operational activities, including health care governance, transactions, joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions. In addition to overseeing legal and regulatory matters for multiple heath systems, he has served as counsel to publicly and privately held companies on a host of legal, regulatory and finance issues.
The newly created position of General Counsel and Secretary is associated with VUMC’s transition from Vanderbilt University into a separate nonprofit entity, which in turn requires separate and distinct core administrative services including legal counsel, human resources and finance.
Regier will report to Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and President of the reorganized VUMC, and will be responsible for representing the Medical Center and its affiliates before local, state and federal court systems, governmental agencies and regarding other matters requiring legal and regulatory compliance.
“I want to welcome Michael to this important new role on the Medical Center’s leadership team and look forward to working closely with him as we continue to grow, recognizing the many opportunities ahead for VUMC. With his prior experience in an array of health system settings, he brings additional strengths and perspective to our organization at a time of significant change within health care,” said Balser.
In addition, Regier will lead the Medical Center’s in-house legal counsel and will manage relationships with all retained outside counsel. He will also oversee risk management and conflict-of-interest activities.
As Atlantic Health System’s Chief Legal Officer, Regier was responsible for the oversight of all legal and regulatory matters, risk and claims management and organizational insurance programs, including Atlantic Health’s captive insurance company. Atlantic Health System, with approximately 13,500 employees and annual revenues of approximately $2.3 billion, is headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey. The system is comprised of four acute care hospitals and other facilities.
“VUMC is an extraordinary institution, and to join it at such a pivotal time in its history is both an honor and a tremendous opportunity,” said Regier.
Prior to his tenure at Atlantic Health System, Regier served as Senior Vice President for Legal and Corporate Affairs and General Counsel for VHA Inc., the nation’s largest alliance of non-profit hospitals. VHA Inc., headquartered in Irving, Texas, has member hospitals and health systems located throughout 47 states.
Committed to helping others understand the dynamics of the nation’s constantly changing health care delivery system, Regier has frequently spoken at conferences and other gatherings for professional associates. While at VHA Inc., he created and hosted “Focus on Reform” a satellite television program aimed at helping those at VHA member hospitals and the greater public better prepare for the impact of health care reform.
For more than a decade, Regier also held the role of Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Network Corporate Responsibility Officer with Seton Healthcare Network in Austin Texas. He also worked with the Chicago law firm of Gardner, Carton & Douglas where he served as counsel to publicly and privately held companies, providing guidance in the areas of federal and state securities law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and governance.
Regier received his undergraduate degree with the highest distinction from the University of Kansas and his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School where he was a Dillard Fellow. He is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and the Association of Corporate Counsel.
Throughout his career Regier has participated in volunteer civic initiatives in the cities in which he has resided. While in Texas, he served on the boards of directors for the VHA Foundation, which focuses on disaster relief, as well as AIDS Arms, Inc., the largest provider of services for persons living with HIV/AIDS in the greater Dallas and Fort Worth areas. He has been acknowledged as Volunteer of the Year by the Catholic Health Association of Texas.
