Page 5 - OGC Annual Report 2024

ANNUAL REPORT 2024 5
Practice Areas in the Office of the General Counsel
OGC attorneys represent and counsel the University in many areas, including the following:
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Litigation and other contested matters
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Student affairs
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Labor and employment
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Data privacy and public disclosure law
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Health care
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Real estate and construction
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Technology transfer and intellectual property transactions
Select Highlights
Community-University Health Care Center
(CUHCC)
The University’s community clinic, Community-University Health
Care Center (CUHCC), is the first and oldest community health
center, serving the health care needs of the South Minneapolis
community for over 58 years. Ninety percent of CUHCC’s patients
fall below 200% of the federal poverty level. As a federally qualified
health center, CUHCC not only provides medical, dental, and
mental health care, but also connects vulnerable patients with
necessary legal services, advocacy for domestic abuse and sexual
assault, and care coordination services.
Many of CUHCC’s patients are enrolled in Medicaid. The Minnesota
Department of Human Services (DHS), the agency that administers
Medicaid in Minnesota, pays CUHCC using a formula prescribed by
federal and state law when CUHCC sees a Medicaid patient. When
DHS calculated CUHCC’s 2021 Medicaid rate, it excluded the costs
of providing an essential service known as mental health targeted
case management (MH-TCM) services. MH-TCM services are vital
for patients experiencing severe and persistent mental illness. DHS’s
rate calculation threatened CUHCC’s ability to continue providing
those services. The University challenged CUHCC’s 2021 Medicaid
reimbursement rate in an administrative proceeding and ultimately
asked the Minnesota Court of Appeals to review DHS’s decision to
exclude MH-TCM services from CUHCC’s reimbursement rate.
In April 2024, the Court of Appeals unanimously agreed with the
University’s position and directed DHS to recalculate CUHCC’s 2021
Medicaid reimbursement rate to include MH-TCM services. This is
an important victory for the patients who rely on CUHCC’s services,
especially those in need of the MH-TCM services.
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International programs
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Corporate and commercial transactions
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Securities and finance
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Gifts and tax
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Research regulation
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Employee Benefits