Melissa Soliz

Practice Areas

- Health Care Law

- Data Privacy, Security & Interoperability

Career

Melissa Soliz is a partner with Coppersmith Brockelman, PLC in Phoenix, Arizona. Her regulatory health law practice focuses on compliance with data privacy, access and interoperability laws (such as HIPAA, 42 C.F.R. Part 2, the ONC Information Blocking Rule, the CMS Interoperability mandates, and state laws), health information exchange (HIE) (including the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA)), behavioral health/substance use disorder law issues, data breaches and OCR investigations, as well as clinical research compliance and contracting. Melissa regularly speaks in local and national forums on these topics and has been active in state and federal policy making on data privacy and HIE issues. She is the President of the Arizona Society of Healthcare Attorneys and is recognized by Chambers, Best Lawyers© and Southwest Super Lawyers: Rising Stars© for her work in health law. She is a Phoenix Business Journal (PBJ), 40 under 40 recipient (Class of 2023) and 2023 Managed Healthcare Executive: Emerging Leader in Healthcare.

Professional Memberships

- President, Arizona Society of Healthcare Attorneys (2021 – present)

- Member (on behalf of Velatura), Sequoia Project, Interoperability Matters: Information Blocking Workgroup (May 2020 –present)

- Task Group / IBR Compliance Tools Subgroup (January 2024 – present)

- Good Practices Task Group (January 2022 – December 2023)

- HIE Subgroup (January 2021 – December 2022)

- Member (on behalf of Velatura), Sequoia Project, Interoperability Matters: Privacy & Consent Workgroup

- Member (on behalf of Velatura), Sequoia Project, Interoperability Matters: Payer-to-Payer FHIR API Workgroup

- Member, Human Subjects Review Board, Arizona Department of Health Services (2019 – present)

- Substance use HeAlth Record Sharing (SHARES) Advisory Board (2023 – present)

- Member, Board of Directors, Rosie’s House (July 2020 – present)

- Student Advisor, HIM Topics, Central Arizona College (June 2020 – present)

- Member, Board of Directors, Arizona Society of Healthcare Attorneys (2018 – present)

- Professions Council for Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, BS in Healthcare Compliance and Regulations (2018 – present)

- Member, Arizona Society of Healthcare Attorneys (2015 – present)

- Member, American Health Law Association (2015 – present)

- Former President, Greenfield Park Homeowners Association (2016 – 2023)

- Former Member, MDC Advisory Board: My Data Choices (2019 – 2022) (research into consent management tools for Part 2 compliance)

- Former Board Secretary and Member, Gabriel’s Angels Board of Young Professionals (2013 – 2016)

Publications

- Co-author, “Pediatric Consent on FHIR,” SHARES Research Article (May 2024)

- Co-author, “The Eagle Has Landed: How the CARES Act Final Rule is Changing 42 CFR Part 2 Compliance for Health Care Providers, Health Plans and Health Information Networks/Exchange,” Coppersmith Briefs (April 15, 2024)

- Co-author, “The Missing Puzzle Piece: Using Health Data to Close the Social Determinants of Health Gap,” American Health Law Association, Journal of Health and Life Sciences Law (January 2024)

- Co-author, “IBR Enforcement is Here: What the Proposed HHS Disincentives Rule Means for Health Care Providers and the Final OIG CMP Rule Means for Health IT Developers and HIN/HIEs,” Coppersmith Briefs (Dec. 5, 2023)

- Co-author, “Phoenix Business Journal 2023 40 Under 40: Melissa Soliz,” Phoenix Business Journal (Aug. 3, 2023)

- Author, “Small Changes, Big Impact: ONC’s Proposed Changes to Advance Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability.” American Health Law Association, Health Information and Technology Brief (June 2, 2023)

- Author, “Making Improvements?: ONC’s Proposed Enhancements to the Information Blocking Rule (HTI-1),” Coppersmith Briefs (May 1, 2023)

- Author, “Expanded CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Requirements: What Payers, Providers and their Technology Vendors Need to Know,” Coppersmith Briefs (Feb. 7, 2023)

- Co-author, “What’s the Big Deal?: Data Privacy Issues Involving “Big Data” and Genomics Deals,” American Health Law Association Academic Medical Centers and Teaching Hospitals Institute and Physicians and Hospitals Institute Conference (Jan. 30-31, 2023)

- Co-author, “TEFCA: How It Works in Tandem With Your HIE,” Contexture (Jan. 26, 2023)

- Co-author, “Has the Eagle Landed?: HHS’ Proposed Changes to 42 CFR Part 2 to Align Substance Use Disorder Privacy Protections with HIPAA,” Coppersmith Briefs (Dec. 28, 2022)

- Co-author, “TEFCA: Has the Future for Nationwide Data Exchange Arrived?,” American Health Law Association, Health Information and Technology Practice Group, Member Briefing (May 6, 2022)

- Co-author, “Perceptions and Concerns of SUD Treatment Organizations Regarding the CARES Act’s Alterations to Patient Confidentiality Regulations,” AHIMA Journal: Perspectives in Health Information Management (vol. 19, issue 2, May 2022)

- Author, “What You Need Know about TEFCA: The Common Agreement,” Coppersmith Briefs (Feb. 2, 2022)

- Author, “If You Build It, They Will Come: Implementing the CMS Patient Access API and Payer-to-Payer Exchange Requirements,” AHLA Journal of Health and Life Sciences Law (December 2021)

- Co-author (with Helen Oscislawski), “Legal Corner: At the Click of a Button,” Arizona Physician (Nov. 15, 2021)

- Contributor, Year in Review Developments, American Health Law Association Physicians and Hospital Institute Feb. 2022; Physicians and Hospital Law Institute Feb. 2021; Annual Meeting (June 2021)

- Co-author, “Ready? Set. Go! IBR Compliance Is Here,” American Health Law Association (April 30, 2021)

- Commentor, “Be prepared to share clinical notes with patients,” Medical Practice Compliance Alert (April 2021)

- Co-author, “Mother, MUST I?: Compliance with the Information Blocking Regulations Presentation White Paper,” American Health Law Association Virtual Physicians and Hospitals Law Institute (Feb. 10-12, 2021)

- Co-author, “Proposed Changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rule: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – An Operational Perspective,” Coppersmith Briefs (Jan. 25, 2021)

- Co-author, Coppersmith Brockelman Information Blocking Toolkit for Health Care Providers (December 2020)

- Author, “CMS Proposed Expansion of Interoperability Requirements for Impacted Payers,” Coppersmith Briefs (Dec. 14, 2020)

- Co-author, “Just in Time Delay: ONC Extends Information Blocking Compliance Deadline to April 5, 2021,” Coppersmith Briefs (Oct. 29, 2020)

- Author, “Regulatory Changes to Substance Use Disorder Privacy Law,” Coppersmith Briefs (July 17, 2020)

- Author, “OIG Penalties for Information Blocking,” Coppersmith Briefs (April 27, 2020)

- Co-author, “COVID-19 TCPA Emergency Exception for Robocalls and Texts from Health Care Providers and Government Officials,” Coppersmith Briefs (April 16, 2020)

- Co-author, “OCR Waives HIPAA BAA Requirements to Participate in Public Health and Health Oversight Activities,” Coppersmith Briefs (April 2, 2020)

- Co-author, “Communicating with First Responders about Patient COVID-19 Status,” Coppersmith Briefs (March 31, 2020)

- Co-author, “Communicating with Health Care Employees about Patient COVID-19 Status,” Coppersmith Briefs (March 30, 2020)

- Co-author, “The CARES Act: Sweeping Changes to Substance Use Disorder Privacy Law (42 USC 290dd-2),” Coppersmith Briefs (March 30, 2020)

- Commentor, “Info blocking part of interoperability could bite you; note exceptions, document,” Part B News (March 26, 2020)

- Co-author, “Data Sharing in Genomics and Big Data Deals,” AHLA Academic Medical Centers and Teaching Hospitals Institute Conference (Jan. 30-31, 2020)

- Co-author, “Arizona Chapter, AHLA Corporate Practice of Medicine,” (January 2020)

- Commentor, “Avoid Most Common HIPAA Violations With Best Practices, Education,” Healthcare Risk Management (Dec. 1, 2019)

- Author, “Don’t Let Privacy Protections Be The Enemy Of Good: How privacy laws are stymieing efforts to most effectively treat substance use disorders and combat the opioid epidemic,” Journal of Health Care Compliance (November 2019)

- Co-author, “Arizona – Response to Opioid Crisis and Opioid Prescribing Requirements,” American Health Lawyers Association State Response to Opioid Crisis and Opioid Prescribing Requirements: A 50 State Survey (November 2019)

- Co-author, “Data Sharing Through the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network,” PCORnet (2019)

- Co-author, “Sentinel System: Data Sharing for Public Health Activities and Data Use Agreements,” Sentinel (2019)

- Author, “Courtesy Notification re: Proposed Changes to 42 CFR Part 2,” Coppersmith Brockelman PLC (Aug. 23, 2019)

- Author, “Courtesy Notification re: TEFCA Draft 2,” Coppersmith Brockelman PLC (May 21, 2019)

- Author, “Courtesy Notification re: ONC/CMS Proposed Interoperability Regulations,” Coppersmith Brockelman PLC (April 24, 2019)

- Co-author, “ONC/CMS Extends Comment Period for Proposed Rules on Interoperability and Information Blocking,” American Health Lawyers Association (May 20, 2019)

Personal

Melissa Soliz is a deeply committed mother and community member who takes great comfort in the exuberate joy of children and sense of togetherness doing good works brings to the community. In between work, parenting and community activities, she finds enjoyment in audiobooks, exploring a wide range of literature, fictions, bios, memoirs, politics, social sciences and technology. Melissa brings the insights and skills she has learned (and continues to learn) as a mother, community member, and avid reader to her legal practice by actively listening and problem-solving with her clients to develop practical solutions and collaborations to achieve business goals in alignment with complex health data privacy, security and interoperability laws as well as for the betterment of the communities and patient populations that they serve.

Awards