This year marked the inaugural Roy Snell Health Care Regulatory & Compliance Writing Competition. Despite the disruptions and anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition attracted outstanding student participation.
All submissions were judged by a panel of independent legal and compliance experts. Neither the entrant’s identity nor academic institution were known to the judges. Top honors were awarded to the following students:
1st Place: Jane Blaney (Mitchell Hamline School of Law)
$5000 cash prize
2nd Place: Alice Choi (Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law)
$3000 cash prize
3rd Place: Baylee Culverhouse (Georgia State College of Law)
$1500 cash prize
2020 Winner Bios
Roy Snell, CHC, CCEP-F
SCCE & HCCA
Chief Executive Officer – Retired
Roy Snell is a cofounder and former CEO of the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics & Health Care Compliance Association. Roy is a former administrator of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota where he worked in IT, business office and laboratories. He is the former compliance officer for the University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation and Hospital. Roy worked briefly for Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers as a consultant in the compliance area. Roy is a frequent speaker and writer on subjectsrelated to the compliance profession. He is now working for SCCE & HCCA as a strategic advisor to the CEO and writing two books. Roy has a master’s degree in Health and Human Services Administration.
The Roy Snell Health Care Regulatory & Compliance Writing Competition competition recognizes law students for innovative, strategic, and sound approaches to tackling complex contemporary health care regulatory and compliance issues. The first-place winner receives a $5000 cash award, paid registration for the 2021 HCCA Annual Compliance Institute held in Las Vegas from April 19-22, 2021 (valued at over $1,500) and up to $1500 in travel and conference-related expenses. The second-place winner receives a $3000 cash award, paid registration for the 2021 HCCA Annual Compliance Institute and up to $1500 in travel and conference-related expenses. The third-place winner receives a $1500 cash award, paid registration for the 2021 HCCA Annual Compliance Institute and up to $1500 in travel and conference-related expenses.
About the Competition
In keeping with Roy Snell’s keen interest in practical, realistic and user-centered communication, as well as a commitment to efficiency and clarity in writing, this demanding competition requires students to analyze a hypothetical fact pattern (the Competition Problem) involving an organization facing multifaceted health care regulatory/compliance matters and draft two separate internal memoranda to two different recipients within the organization. Students must analyze the facts presented, identify any and all regulatory/compliance concerns and advise the recipient of the memorandum. While these two internal memoranda address the same hypothetical situation and subject matter, they are to be drafted with a specific audience/reader in mind. Content must be customized to a particular audience/reader to optimize understanding, engagement, and responsiveness.
The competition honors Roy Snell, the distinguished and highly regarded former CEO of the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) and the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE), for his visionary leadership and extraordinary contributions to the field of Health Care Compliance. Roy Snell lends his name to the competition to support new and emerging leaders in health care compliance.
About the 2020 Problem
The 2020 problem, drawn from recent cases and enforcement actions, was an advanced, complex, and nuanced hypothetical involving a fictitious company caught in the crossfire of numerous legal, regulatory, and compliance concerns. Issues of kickbacks, false claims, transparency of payments, and health care fraud are recurring themes throughout the problem. Additionally, the themes of individual executive accountability and conspiracy were also present in many aspects of the hypothetical. The 2020 problem and winning submission are available here.
About the Judging Panel
Thank you to the competition panel of independent judges who volunteered their time and expertise:
Jenny O’Brien JD, MS, CHC, CHPC
United Healthcare Chief Compliance Officer
Seth Whitelaw JD, PhD
President & CEO, Whitelaw Compliance Group, LLC
Editor, Policy & Medicine Compliance Update
Kristin Rand JD, MA
Head, Corporate Compliance & Global Risk Officer
Moderna
Mark Gardner, MBA, JD
Managing Attorney
Gardner Law
About the Competition Sponsor
The Roy Snell Health Care Regulatory & Compliance Writing Competition is made possible in part by generous support from the Health Care Compliance Association.
2021 Roy Snell Health Care Regulatory & Compliance Writing Competition
Information on the 2021 Roy Snell Health Care Regulatory & Compliance Writing Competition which will be available in October 2020. All students interested in health care compliance and regulation are encouraged to participate.
Who May Enter: The Roy Snell Health Care Regulatory & Compliance Writing Competition is open to all full and part-time law students in J.D. programs who have completed their 1L year. The Competition is also open to students currently enrolled in a Compliance Certification Board (CCB) accredited Health Care Compliance Certificate Program.
Prizes
- 1st Place: $5000 cash prize
Paid registration for the 2021 HCCA Annual Compliance Institute* (valued at over $1,500)
Up to $1500 in travel and conference-related expenses. - 2nd Place: $3000 cash prize
Paid registration for the 2021 HCCA Annual Compliance Institute*
Up to $1500 in travel and conference-related expenses. - 3rd Place: $1500 cash prize
Paid registration for the 2021 HCCA Annual Compliance Institute*
Up to $1500 in travel and conference-related expenses.