Overview
Edward G. Zacharias is the managing partner of McDermott’s Boston office. Clients across the healthcare industry and beyond turn to him for practical, business-oriented counsel on their most significant privacy and cybersecurity compliance, healthcare regulatory and transactional matters. Ed’s clients include “Big Tech” companies, health information technology and digital health companies, healthcare providers, insurers, electronic health record platforms, pharmacies, drug and device manufacturers, life sciences companies and health services vendors.
Ed helps clients assess and develop innovative technologies (including AI/ML-enabled products) to comply with applicable laws while achieving their business objectives. He is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and advises clients on a broad range of information privacy and cybersecurity laws, including HIPAA, HITECH Act, 42 CFR Part 2, CCPA/CPRA and other state consumer privacy laws, GDPR, NYDFS Cybersecurity Regulation, and other privacy and cybersecurity regimes.
Ed manages complex, high-profile ransomware attacks and other data breaches, guiding clients through all aspects of incident response and remediation. He is one of the nation’s leading lawyers in responding to HIPAA compliance investigations by the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights and state attorneys general. Ed has extensive experience negotiating favorable settlements on behalf of clients when these investigations result in allegations of noncompliance.
Ed has partnered with clients from across the technology and healthcare spectrum in their response efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including advising on the use of technologies to facilitate communications among providers and patients, and helping organizations address the related privacy, cybersecurity, telehealth, medical device and other legal considerations.
Results
- Advised a Fortune 20 company establish a comprehensive HIPAA compliance program and data use strategy related to its entrance into the healthcare market as a provider of healthcare services
- Advised a large, publicly traded social media platform on a variety of COVID-19 related initiatives involving global privacy, cybersecurity, telehealth, medical device and other legal considerations
- Served as lead counsel to a health system with over 500 clinical sites of service in responding to ransomware attack, including coordinating legal and compliance advice, cybersecurity and forensics teams, media response, communications with regulators and ransom negotiations with threat actor
- Represented clients in response to numerous HHS-OCR HIPAA compliance investigations, including successfully resolving dozens without any adverse findings and negotiating multiple favorable settlements for clients
- Represented a publicly traded technology company in investigating and responding to an international cyberattack that affected its services and operations
- Advised a large electronic health record (EHR) company on various data use and disclosure considerations related to its development of a personal health record for patients of its healthcare provider customers
- Advised a national retail chain on structural and healthcare compliance considerations related to its establishment of in-store clinics
- Served as privacy counsel to publicly traded healthcare services company in its acquisition of a medication therapy management company
- Represented a hospital system in acquiring assets of a large physician cardiology group practice and employing physicians
- Represented health systems in drafting and negotiating a service line co-management agreements for specialty service lines
Recognitions
- Chambers USA, Band 2 in Healthcare, 2018-2024
- Legal 500 US, Leading Lawyer in Media, Technology and Telecoms: Cyber Law, 2021 and 2024
- Best Lawyers in America, Healthcare Law, 2022-2025
- Thomson Reuters, Stand-out Lawyer – independently rated lawyers, 2023-2024
- Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Top 20 Managing Partner, 2024
- Burton Awards, Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award, 2023
- BTI, Client Service All-Stars, 2022
- Acritas Stars, listed among independently rated lawyers, 2020
Community
- American Health Lawyers Association
Credentials
Education
Boston University School of Law, JD, 2006
Case Western Reserve University, MA, Bioethics, 2003
Coleman College, AS, Computer Applications and Networks, 2001
Boston College, BA, 1999
Admissions
Massachusetts
