Felicia Sze is the founder and managing partner at Athene Law and a respected leader in healthcare and health policy. She is nationally recognized for her expertise in representing providers in complex reimbursement matters, particularly with respect to Medicare and Medicaid/Medi-Cal, and regulatory compliance.
Ms. Sze has been a tireless advocate for providers in disputes with managed care entities and government payors. She routinely defends her clients against private and governmental audits and zealously pursues underpayments. Ms. Sze also regularly counsels providers on complex billing and compliance issues.
Ms. Sze has led public policy initiatives to expand access to healthcare services through innovative Medicaid financing and reimbursement reforms. She has worked directly on bringing in billions of new Medicaid dollars annually to California and other states through provider fee and other funding mechanisms. She has partnered with hospital leaders to reform the Medicare dependent hospital program to bring millions of dollars of Medicare reimbursement to uniquely positioned rural hospitals.
She regularly reviews, revises, and negotiates managed care contracts with a focus on alternative payment models. In the increasingly complex environment of risk sharing and joint ventures, Ms. Sze provides guidance to providers as to how the structure of contractual relationships may affect their operations and finances. She also guides clients in the complex labyrinth of behavioral health reimbursement, focusing on Medi-Cal specialty mental health services.
Ms. Sze serves as the outside general counsel for several healthcare provider trade associations, including hospital and ambulance associations. In this role, she routinely advises healthcare leaders about important changes in health policy and how to pursue strategic industry goals.
She founded Athene Law, LLP with a vision for the firm to partner with its clients to support their mission in ensuring the provision of healthcare services to Californians.
Ms. Sze was named a Super Lawyer© for Northern California as a Top Rated Health Care Attorney in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, a Band 5 healthcare attorney by Chambers in 2024, and a Top Health Care Lawyer in San Francisco by the Daily Journal in 2020.
- American Health Lawyers Association, Member, Planning Committee for the Institute on Medicare and Medicaid Payment Issues
- American Bar Association, Health Law Section
- Asian American Bar Association
- Bar Association of San Francisco
B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology/Genetics from the University of California at Berkeley (1996).
M.P.H. in Community Health Sciences/Health Policy from the University of California at Los Angeles (1998).
J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, School of Law (2004).
