Polsinelli welcomes highly experienced legislative strategist and attorney Margaret “Peggy” Binzer as a shareholder to the firm. With background and experience in patient safety and quality issues on Capitol Hill, Binzer will practice in both the firm’s national Health Care Practice and Public Policy Group. Binzer brings more than 15 years of experience in food and drug law and will focus her practice on matters relating to health care, life sciences and patient safety and quality issues. Polsinelli’s growing Health Care Practice is the fourth largest in the nation and represents health care systems, medical centers and physician practices.
“Peggy is a veteran in both health care law and public policy and we are extremely pleased to have an attorney with her depth of experience on our team,” said Polsinelli Health Care Division Chair Matthew J. Murer. “Her focus on patient safety and quality issues will enhance our capabilities in health care and life sciences and provide great value for our clients.”
Binzer’s legal experience includes over a decade of work in government service assisting dozens of organizations to become Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs). Having worked closely with health systems, hospitals and other providers, she helped many to establish Patient Safety Evaluation Systems. Binzer’s efforts spearheaded the crafting and passage of the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA), which established Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) while serving as Senior Health Counsel for the Senate HELP Committee. She is the Executive Director of both the Alliance for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety and Academy for Allergy and Asthma in Primary Care. Binzer’s Capitol Hill experience spans from expertise on the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act to serving as a Homeland Security Advisor to the 2008 Romney for President Campaign.
“I am very excited to be collaborating with the attorneys at Polsinelli who are proactively seeking solutions and helping clients maneuver the many regulatory changes coming their way,” said Binzer whose clients include trade associations and patient safety organizations.
“Peggy is a highly regarded strategist and coalition builder whose healthcare knowledge greatly enhances our ability to help clients achieve their goals in Congress and federal healthcare agencies,” said Jim Davidson, Chair of the Polsinelli Public Policy Group in Washington, D.C.
Binzer concentrates her practice on patient safety and quality issues and life sciences in addition to her extensive health care matters. She is currently engaged in helping lead policy development for health IT reporting as well as defining how Health Information Technology (HIT) will be regulated through developing patient safety and quality event surveillance framework utilizing PSOs.
The addition of Binzer occurs during an exciting period of overall growth for Polsinelli, which has seen its national footprint expand to nine states and 16 cities. The firm was listed by Inc. Magazine in 2012 as the fastest-growing, full service law firm in America. The Washington, D.C. office, which opened in 2005, and recently ranked (Tier 1) by US News-Best Lawyers: Best Law Firms, for government relations in the District of Columbia, continues to grow its strong public policy practice to meet client needs.
Binzer earned her law degree from William & Mary Law School after earning her B.S. degree cum laude from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Binzer is licensed in the District of Columbia and Virginia, and represents the Allergy Asthma Academy as Sponsor alongside colleague and Polsinelli shareholder Kara Friedman. Binzer also serves as the Executive Director of the Alliance for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, a trade association for Patient Safety Organizations and healthcare providers, whose mission is to advocate for patient safety and quality improvement as well as to safeguard the PSQIA’s protections in litigation proceedings.
