Overview

Steve Lokensgard leverages more than 30 years of legal experience to advise health care clients on regulatory compliance issues, investigations and transactions. He is the firm’s authority on Medicare billing compliance and reimbursement issues, and he regularly advises clients on provider enrollment and licensing issues. He has also developed a focus on digital health and pharmacy issues, and he has drafted and negotiated professional service agreements for cardiology, pathology, anesthesiology and other specialty providers. As a former compliance officer, he counsels clients on building and sustaining effective compliance programs. Steve leads the firm's health care group.

Health Care Regulatory Compliance

Steve provides advice to a wide variety of health care entities, from solo practitioners to pharmacy chains, large integrated delivery systems and Medicare Advantage plans. His experience includes the following topics:

  • Compliance programs, audits and investigations related to fraud and abuse issues, including the False Claims Act, HIPAA, Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute 
  • Reimbursement and billing compliance issues, including those related to Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare
  • Investigations involving billing compliance issues, drug diversions, and other fraud and abuse issues
  • Telemedicine
  • Pharmacy and telepharmacy issues
  • Indian Health Law and self-governance compact issues
  • Critical Access Hospital issues including Method II billing and 340B Program issues
  • Licensing standards
  • Patient privacy compliance, including privacy breach audits and investigations
  • Physician transaction documents and negotiations, including professional services agreements (PSAs) between hospitals and physicians
  • Drug compounding, drug diversions
  • Medicare Advantage plans
  • Assisted Living Facilities and Home Health issues

Prior Experience

After starting his legal career in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, Steve served as an assistant attorney general for the state of Minnesota. More recently, he was in-house counsel and chief compliance officer for a large regional health care system.

Insights & Events

Other Perspectives
  • Health Care Amid and After COVID-19: Strategies for Your Path to Recovery (Web Series):
    Rural Health Care: Surviving the Pandemic and Beyond, June 4, 2020
  • Structuring and Payment for Remote Patient Monitoring Services
    American Health Lawyer’s Association Webinar, February 12, 2020
  • Best Practices and Guidance for EHR Access
    Leading Age Conference, Minneapolis, February 5, 2020
  • Fraud and Abuse Risks Associated with Telemedicine Arrangements
    American Telemedicine Association Webinar, September 19, 2019
  • Text Me Your Symptoms: Making Sense of Medicare’s New Telehealth Policies
    Webinar, July 16, 2019
  • Record Retention: Policies and Procedures for Health Care Organizations and Compliance Departments
    CCH Compliance Officer's Manual, 2019
  • 2019 Compliance Update
    UnitedHealth Group LCRA Leadership Meeting, May 2019
  • Hot Topics in Fraud & Abuse - The Best (or Worst) of 2017 Through 2018
    Minnesota State Bar Association Health Care Section CLE, December 21, 2018
  • Health Care Fraud & Abuse: Fundamentals
    Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, December 10, 2018
  • OIG Corporate Integrity Agreement – Implementation, Oversight, and Exit
    HCCA Minneapolis Regional Compliance Conference - Minneapolis, MN, September 14, 2018
  • Betting on Your Provider-Based Status
    HCCA Compliance Institute – Las Vegas, NV, April 16, 2018
  • Betting on Your Provider-Based Status
    22nd Annual HCCA Compliance Institute, March 2018
  • The Trump 2-for-1 Order and Its Impact on Executive Agencies
    Compliance Today, August, 2017
  • Compounding Update and the Nurse’s Role
    ASORN Annual Meeting, October 2016
  • Paying People for Being Good: Wellness Reward and Incentive Law
    HCCA Regional Conference, September 2016
  • Doubling Down on Compliance: Working With Your Board to Maximize the Win!
    20th Annual HCCA Compliance Institute, April 2016
  • Telehealth Issues
    Minnesota Society of Hospital Risk Managers, Annual Conference, September 2015
  • History of Compliance
    UnitedHealthcare “Order of the Rock” Training, September 2015
  • Bosnia Legal Issues
    34th Infantry “Red Bull” Division Officers Association, April 2015
  • Beyond Health Care Reform
    Frequent Contributor, Legal and Regulatory Impact of Health Care Reform Blog, www.FaegreBD.com, 2014-present
  • 96-Hour Physician Certification Requirement for Critical Access Hospitals
    Minnesota Hospital Association, August 2014
  • New Non-Standard Modes of Deliver
    Health Law Institute, Minnesota CLE, June 2014
  • Federal Health Care Policy Update
    Residential Eating Disorders Consortium Annual Meeting, September 2013
  • Is Your Tribe Ready for the Affordable Care Act?
    Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA) Fall Finance & Tribal Economies Conference, September 2013
  • Compliance in Joint Ventures and Physician Transactions
    CCH Compliance Officer's Manual, 2013

Leadership & Community

Civic Activities

  • St. Mary’s Health Clinics — Board of Directors, 2015-present
  • Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church — Benevolence Committee, 2010-16
  • Hennepin Health Foundation — Gala Planning Committee 2014-15
  • Minnesota Army National Guard — Staff Judge Advocate, 1994-2010

Firm Leadership

  • Leader, Health Care Group, 2023-present

Honors

  • Best Lawyers® — Health Care Law, 2023-25 (Lawyer of the Year - 2025)
  • Acritas — Star Lawyer, 2018-19
  • Faegre Baker Daniels — Pro Bono Honor Roll, 2015, 2017