Patti T. Cotten

Patti T. Cotten is an experienced health law and transactional attorney who is actively engaged in advising clients with a broad range of complex healthcare business and regulatory issues. With a comprehensive understanding of the federal and state regulatory frameworks which impact healthcare providers, she counsels individual physicians, physicians’ groups, urgent and emergency care companies, ancillary service providers, healthcare management companies and specialists, and other related business entities as they navigate the business aspects of healthcare.

Ms. Cotten assists clients with analyzing and investigating potential and actual compliance issues. Strategic in her approach to helping clients avoid conflicts with federal and state enforcement agencies, she offers proactive solutions such as voluntary reporting and implementing third-party payor refund procedures. Ms. Cotten regularly advises clients about issues arising under federal and state healthcare laws and reimbursement regulations. She assists clients with structuring healthcare business arrangements, operations and transactions, providing insights and analysis of how they may be impacted by the Stark self-referral law, federal and state Anti-Kickback Statutes and the False Claims Act. She is passionate about educating her clients and minimizing risk, employing a practical approach to business planning in an increasingly regulated transactional healthcare environment.

Ms. Cotten is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, Tennessee Bar Association and the Knoxville Bar Association. She is a frequent speaker for various health-related professional and educational organizations, including having served as a guest lecturer to the University of Tennessee College of Law’s Health Section and as a speaker for the Tennessee Medical Group Manager’s Association.

Ms. Cotten was born and raised in South Knoxville, Tennessee. She graduated summa cum laude and top graduate from both the University of Tennessee in 1982 (with a B.A. in Communications) and the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1986. After spending a year practicing in Dallas, Texas, Ms. Cotten returned to her hometown and has practiced in the Knoxville legal community for thirty-five (35) years.