Faculty Profile: Tami Horton

Tami Horton is General Counsel and Chief Privacy and Compliance Officer at Illinois Bone & Joint Institute (IBJI).  In this role, Ms. Horton provides both strategic and tactical oversight to legal, compliance, risk management and related issues for IBJI’s 90+ orthopedic surgeons, rheumatologists and podiatrists, 800+ employees, 15 sites and multiple lines of business, including physical and occupational therapy and imaging, all of which are located in the Chicagoland metropolitan area. 

As the first in-house employee in each of her roles, Ms. Horton is involved in legal issues related to healthcare law, corporate compliance, corporate law, employment law, and oversight of professional liability defense.  She manages corporate relationships and interactions with insurers, professional liability defense counsel and over 15 federal, state, county and local government entities.  Ms. Horton established multiple training programs for physicians and staff.  Ms. Horton is a strategic member of the executive team and advisor to the professional and medical leadership and Board of Directors on a wide range of issues affecting organizational strategy, regulatory compliance and operations.  Ms. Horton has worked extensively to assist IBJI in the establishment of its OrthoSync program operationalizing its experience as an early awardee in the CMS Bundled Payment for Care Improvement (BPCI) Initiative beginning with IBJI’s application to CMS in 2012.

Ms. Horton is Certified in Healthcare Compliance by the Health Care Compliance Association and led the creation of a comprehensive corporate compliance program for IBJI.  The compliance manual and process that she developed and deployed across the IBJI organization became the basis for AHLA’s Compliance Program for Physician Practices Toolkit.  Ms. Horton also regularly provides and manages training to IBJI’s entire staff of physicians and employees on compliance, HIPAA and other risk management topics.  

Ms. Horton serves as the vice-chair for education for AHLA’s Physician Organizations Practice Group, was the past Vice-Chair of research and website of the AHLA’s Healthcare Liability and Litigation Practice Group and is the founder and past chair of the AHLA’s Physician In-House Counsel Affinity Group.  She has presented on a range of healthcare and compliance topics to attorneys, medical professionals and others in the healthcare industry.  Ms. Horton is also an active participant in the Health Care Compliance Association, the Women's Healthcare Executive Network, the First Chair Host Committee, and a participant in the Quarterly Lecture Committee of the Illinois Association of Healthcare Attorneys.  Ms. Horton has served on her Synagogue Board and currently serves on the advisory committee to a Chicago adoption organization.

Ms. Horton earned her JD with Honors from The Law School at the University of Chicago and a Bachelor’s Degree magnacum laude and with Honors from the University of Michigan.  She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.