A Conversation With: Tawny Mummah

Tawny Mummah, 50, is the former chief counsel of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) and has joined Post and Schell, PC’s health care practice group as principal. She brings 20 years of experience in Pennsylvania’s Office of General Counsel and was with DDAP since its inception in 2012. She previously worked with the state’s Department of Insurance for almost 10 years.

Mummah earned her juris doctorate from Widener University School of Law, and prior to that, her bachelor’s degree in political science from Marshall University in Huntingdon, W.Va.

She and her husband, Ken, and their three children – a twin son and daughter, 13, and a 9-year-old daughter – live in Milford Township, Juniata County.

: How will your previous experience in state regulatory agencies benefit your new health care provider clients?

A: My understanding of how government works and the relationships that I have established during the past 20 years are assets that few others have – and assets that help providers navigate the regulatory challenges that they confront on a constant basis. It just felt like the right time for me (to make the switch) and the right law firm. I had been chief counsel for the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) for a number of years and I was just ready for something different.

What is the biggest challenge facing health care providers in Pennsylvania?

The biggest challenges facing providers in Pennsylvania is insufficient funding and lack of staffing – which had the net effect of making it difficult to contend with consistent regulatory scrutiny. I think that, particularly referencing nursing homes, the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement has been cut. I just think there’s insufficient funding to meet the demands of compliance and providing care. I think (providers) have a struggle in having enough staff at a sufficient level to meet those demands.

What changes have you seen in the health care industry over the course of your career?

The dramatic rise of opioid addiction stands out as one of the obvious changes. Not only has the healthcare industry had to adjust from a patient perspective, they now must be equipped to handle this issue from a personnel perspective, as well. Certainly from the drug and alcohol provider perspective, when I was at DDAP, there was just not enough funding. And it took awhile, I think, for the federal government to finally catch up on the issue and when they did they really started to respond and provide the states with a lot of grant funding that could try to address the issue. When DDAP first was incepted, it was really a shoestring budget on which to try to address the issue. And then as I departed from DDAP, the amount of federal funding coming into the commonwealth was significant and it allowed a lot of funding to stream to the providers and new initiatives in attempt to address the issue.

What is your favorite way to stay healthy?

My favorite way to stay healthy is spending time with my family and trying to keep up with my three very active children. Scouts, sports, dance – all of them are in different things. Right now it’s football season and basketball season, and my youngest is playing soccer for the town recreational league.