Frances Costa is a paralegal in the Firm's
Health Care practice
group with expertise in the areas of licensure,
certificates of need, and Medicaid issues that
impact licensed healthcare facilities. She gained
experience in these areas during her employment with
the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior
Services, where she worked for ten years in the
State Licensure Program, most recently as the
Program Manager of the Long-term Care Licensing
Program. Her career in public service spans a period
of 16 years, beginning in 1989. During Ms. Costa’s
tenure as Program Manager, she drafted numerous
amendments to the state licensure regulations for
nursing homes, assisted living residences, and adult
and pediatric day health services facilities, and
presented the proposed rule amendments to the Health
Care Administration Board for publication in the New
Jersey Register. She also managed Medicaid Provider
Enrollment for all healthcare facilities licensed by
the Division of Long-term Care Systems, and provided
liaison with the Office of Program Integrity for
Medicaid. Ms. Costa provided presentations on
licensing issues at seminars for the Gerontology
Institute and the New Jersey Adult Day Care
Association.
Prior to working in the Licensing Program, Ms. Costa
served as Field Coordinator for the Division of
Addiction Services, during which time she
facilitated educational seminars in conjunction with
the Academy of Medicine of New Jersey and the New
Jersey Dental Society, and provided presentations at
workshops for the Health Mothers/Health Babies
Coalition. Prior to working in Addiction Services,
Ms. Costa was the Review Coordinator for the
Division of AIDS Prevention and Control, where she
chaired committees that were responsible for
compliance with Federal requirements for the content
of educational materials distributed by the State or
its grantees with Federal funds.
In September 2005, Ms. Costa left government service
and established a consulting business, from which
she advised and assisted her clients on issues
related to licensure, certificate of need, and
Medicaid, and strategic planning. Her clients
included nursing homes, assisted living residences,
adult and pediatric day health service providers,
and private practice physicians. During this period
of time, she also served as an expert witness on the
nursing home licensing regulations in a litigation
case, and was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court
in Newark as a patient care ombudsman for facilities
that are in bankruptcy.
Ms. Costa received her B.A. degree in French from
Holy Family College in 1987, where she was on the
Dean’s List, received Division Honors, and was a
member of Phi Sigma Iota.
