Faculty Profile: Patricia Newton

Patricia Newton is a 1975 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law. She grew up in East Tennessee and is a long-time public servant for the State of Tennessee. Prior to coming to the State, she was engaged in trial and appellate litigation practice. She joined the TN Department of Health as legal counsel in the 1980’s and, upon implementation of the TennCare Program, served as legal counsel to the TennCare Program and as a program administrator for the Department of Commerce & Insurance TennCare Oversight Division.  The TennCare Oversight Division licenses and regulates the managed care companies that contract with the TennCare program to provide medical, behavioral, and long-term care services. The Division also oversees the Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (SNPs) operating in Tennessee to assure compliance with the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act (MIPAA) and TennCare Program requirements for SNP provider contracting, service delivery and service coordination. In her spare time, Patricia enjoys gardening, landscaping, outdoor athletic activities and her companion dogs.