Tara M. Barton

Tara Barton represents health care providers and businesses in a wide range of corporate, transactional, regulatory, administrative licensure and enrollment matters. Her practice includes advising on corporate compliance, business transactions and health care defense—with a particular focus on navigating mergers and acquisitions, corporate organization, licensure and enrollment applications, corporate practice of medicine laws, fraud and abuse compliance, controlled substance prescribing, third party payor audits, HIPAA violations and medical staff matters. Tara works with clients across the health care industry, including medical practices, management services organizations, Accountable Care Organization participants, ambulatory surgical centers, in-home care practices, telehealth providers, concierge medical practices and other health care businesses.

Tara’s path to law was shaped by her early work as a mental health counselor and her natural inclination toward solving complex problems. A former collegiate soccer player and lifelong competitor, she was drawn to the intellectual challenge and fast pace of the heavily regulated health care industry. Tara first joined Johnson Pope in 2017 as a Summer Associate and Law Clerk, gaining experience in a variety of practice areas before narrowing her focus to health care law. Since joining Johnson Pope, she has built a practice that blends strategic thinking with clear communication and practical solutions.

Whether she’s working on a multi-million-dollar transaction, defending a health care provider in a licensure matter or payor audit, handling a data breach response or helping a new provider navigate corporate organization, intake paperwork, licensure and enrollment, Tara is known for her approachability with calculated assertiveness and practical, problem-solving style. She’s especially focused on identifying what each party truly needs and finding paths to resolution that avoid unnecessary conflict and keep her clients moving forward.

Representative Matters

• Transactional: Assisted with the sale and negotiation of a 12-location physician practice to a national health care management company, with a particular focus on licensure and enrollment aspects of the transaction.
• Regulatory: Advised over 30 independent practices on compliance with the Stark Law, anti-kickback regulations and Florida fraud, waste and abuse laws.
• Licensure: Obtained licensure for over 50 health care clinics navigating all aspects of the application process, including background screening, inspections and change of information reporting obligations.
• Health Care Defense: Successfully defended a large physician group against an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights in connection with a data breach implicating more than 500 patients.

Bar Admissions

• Florida, 2018

Education

• Stetson University College of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 2018
• Wheaton College, B.A., Psychology, 2013

Community & Professional Organizations

• The Florida Bar, 2018 – Present
  • Member
• 6th Judicial Court
  • Former Guardian ad Litem
• United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division
  • Former Law Clerk for the Honorable Elizabeth A. Kovachevich

Outside the Office

Tara lives in the Tampa Bay area with her husband and three young children. She enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling with her family, and staying active. A former golfer and athlete, she looks forward to getting back on the course when time allows.