Meet Natalia Mazina:  attorney behind “Healthcare & Pharmacy Blog” and Mazina Law practice

Natalia is a tenacious regulatory counsel and outside-the-box thinker offering extensive experience to healthcare providers in the areas of

• Government Investigations: DEA, FDA, HHS, Boards of Pharmacy, Medical Boards;

• Third-party audits and licensing: PBMs, Medicaid, and Medicare;

• Compliance: Board of Pharmacy, Medical Board, FDA and DEA regulations, PBM contracts and manuals, HIPAA and state privacy laws, Anti-      Kickback statutes and False Claims;

• License Defense: pharmacy, pharmacists, doctors, nurses, and dentists;

• Business transactions: purchase and sale of a pharmacy, partnership agreements, pharmacy formation.

Prior to starting Mazina Law, she was a founding partner of Carman & Mazina, a healthcare law boutique with the focus on representing pharmacies in fraud investigations, disciplinary actions, and litigation. She was also an associate for Medicaid Defense Fund (MDF), a non-profit that obtained seven consecutive injunctions to stop Medi-Cal provider reimbursement cuts. Her experience in MDF included writ litigation, appeal, and mediation in states and federal courts. She worked on cases with national and state-wide impact such as: Keffeler v Partnership Healthplan of Cal, 224 Cal.App.4th 322 (Cal Court App 2014); Douglas v Indep. Living Center of So. Cal, 132 S.Ct. 1204 (U.S. Supreme Ct 2012); Managed Pharmacy Care v. Sebelius, 716 F.3d 1235 (Ct Appeals 9th Cir 2013). EMAIL NATALIA MAZINA 

Affiliations and Memberships

American Society for Pharmacy Law

American Bar Association, Health Law section

California State Bar

Board of Directors, “Vanguard Laboratories Investment Group”

Recent Successes & Achievements

  • Negotiated a favorable outcome for the pharmacy by reducing a PBM’s recoupment amount by 70% and avoiding contractual termination of the pharmacy.

  • Successfully removed a pharmacy from Suspended and Ineligible Provider List maintained by the Department of Health Care Services within a week after the DHCS included the pharmacy on the list. Precluded PBMs from terminating contracts with the pharmacy.

  • Dismissed a lawsuit filed against a pharmacy early in the proceedings. Turoci v. Evans et al. (Sup. Ct. Riverside, RIC 1502673).

  • Favorably settled DEA’s allegations of improper record-keeping and negotiated a favorable outcome for the pharmacy.

  • Dismissed an Accusation against a pharmacy filed by the California State Board of Pharmacy.

  • Named a “Lawyer of Distinction” in 2018.

Speaking engagements

  • California Society for Healthcare Attorneys, “Navigating the 340b universe: critical developments and practice points,” (co-presenter), (May 2023)
  • Santa Clara University School of Law, “Diversity, Inclusion and Wellness in the Tech and Law Fields,” Healthcare Affordability Panel, (March 2023)
  • PharmCon/ FreeCE, “Compliance with the Controlled Substances Act – DEA Audits” (faculty; quarterly)
  • American Society for Pharmacy Law, “Roundtable Discussions: PBM and Drug Management Update.” (May 2022)
  • Business of Pharmacy Podcast, “Surviving a DEA audit” (December 2021)
  • Gavel & Pestle Podcast, “Natalia Mazina on Pharmacy Compliance, Rutledge v PCMA and PBM Trends” (July 2021)
  • American Society for Pharmacy Law, “Dispensing in Catastrophic Situations and Emergencies” (March 2021)
  • Mazina Law webinar “Rx Legal Update (PBMs, Medicaid and regulatory changes)” (November 2020)
  • Nova Biomedical, a series of webinars, “Regulatory Requirements for Off-Label Testing and Consequences of Non-Compliance. Minimizing your legal exposure when using glucose testing with critically ill patients.” (March – July 2019).
  • Strafford Webinars, “Opioids and Other Controlled Substances: Minimizing the Risks in Prescribing, Dispensing, and Administering.” (April, 2019).
  • American Society for Pharmacy Law, “Your Pharmacy is Being Audited by DEA.” (November 2018).
  • Strafford Webinars, “Prescription Audits: When the DEA Comes Knocking.” (August, 2018).

  •  Indian Pharmacists Association (the Northern California chapter), “Update on California and federal regulations on dispensing controlled substances.” (May 2018).

  • The American Health Lawyers Association, DEA Enforcement Webinar, (December 2017).

  • American Bar Association, Health Law Section, “Minimizing risks with controlled substances.” (June 8th, 2017).

  • California Society for Healthcare Attorneys, “What healthcare providers need to know about cannabis (legal perspective).” (April, 2017).

  • California Society for Healthcare Attorneys, “Pharmacy Law. How does it apply to non-pharmacy clients?” (Nov. 2016).

  • American Society for Pharmacy Law, “Overview of PBM regulations and litigation.” (Nov. 2016).

  • Charmalot 2016 Conference: “Legal Issues in TeleMedicine.” (March 2016).

  • Political Solutions’ podcast, “Legal Issues in the Business of Pharmacy,” episode 218 (guest speaker), May 18, 2015.

  • Political Solutions’ podcast, “Pharmacy Business Law,” episode 201 (guest speaker), February 16, 2015.

  • Managed Pharmacy Care, “Medi-Cal Reimbursement Issues,” (Nov. 2014).

Publications:

  • Law360, Expert Analysis, Dec. 15, 2023, “New Pharma Guidelines Bring Pitfalls to Compounders.” Link to the article.
  • Drug Topics, November 2019, “Inspection Checklist: Are you ready for the Board of Pharmacy inspection?”

  • California Health Law News, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1, Fall 2017/Winter 2018, “How California’s Legalization of Marijuana Impacts the Healthcare Industry.”

  • American Bar Association, Health Law Section’s, eSource November 2017, “Recent Developments in Off-Label Use and Legal Implications to Physicians.”

  • Internal Medicine News (interviewed) by Alicia Gallegos, June 23, 2017, “Follow five tips to mitigate opioid prescribing risks.” You can access the article here.

  • American Bar Association Physicians Legal Issues Conference publication June 2017: “Minimizing the Risks in Prescribing, Dispensing, and Administering Controlled Substances. You can access the publication here.

  • Drug Topics May 2015, “Does your pharmacy comply with quality assurance requirements?”

  • Pharmacy & Healthcare Legal Blog. Access here.

Hobbies and Interests

  • Founder of Mindful Buyers Network

  • Toastmasters International (several public speaking awards on the club and district level)

  • Languages: English, Russian, Belorussian, Spanish

  • Sports: mountain biking, snowboarding, surfing, climbing.