Mark W. Weller

Mark Weller is a member of the Public Policy practice with a primary focus on market planning and development, direct lobbying and regulatory counseling. Mark regularly creates and manages multi-member coalitions around a common goal, often based on major legislative or policy issues in Washington, DC. He also has experience in the design and management of communication initiatives for crises management and litigation strategies.    

Mark represents corporations, industry associations, physician groups and hospitals, in federal legislative and regulatory matters before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Treasury, the Department of Transportation, and Department of Interior.

Mark has achieved success in a broad range of legislation ranging from FDA, Medicare, laboratory, diagnostic imaging, and pharmacy compounding in the health care arena to federal stimulus and tax issues in the transportation and recreation fields and financial services matters for the metals industry. 

Prior to joining Polsinelli, Mark practiced as an attorney for the National Republican Senatorial Committee and served as a staff member of U.S. Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana. He was also the founder and director of a medical technology consulting firm and previously led the Health and Life Sciences practice at a Washington D.C.- based firm. 

• Helped form the only international, multidisciplinary medical society that is exclusively focused on the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to improve patient care worldwide. Engaged the FDA in a dialogue related to regulatory restrictions; gathered evidence to work with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and CMS to encourage CEUS use compared to non-enhanced ultrasound and other imaging modalities; and developed strategic communications strategy messaging to engage trade and mainstream media interest in the safety and cost-effectiveness of contrast ultrasound.

• Helped form and direct a large association of physicians promoting an integrated program of quality diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer. Developed and implemented the legislative response to a CMS proposal that would have devastated access to radiation therapy as a form of treatment for prostate cancer. The final CMS rule did not apply the harmful proposals to the delivery of radiation therapy.

• Represented a national trade association representing nearly 300 manufacturers and component suppliers, producing approximately 98 percent of all RVs manufactured in the United States, to advocate for government policies to expand the availability of credit to RV manufacturers, suppliers and dealers. Successfully pursued a congressional strategy to stimulate demand for RV products by incentivizing purchases.

• Represented a coalition of employers of the Amish religion to modify provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that required citizens and legal residents to maintain "minimum essential health coverage" or pay a penalty. In the Senate legislation and in the final legislation, provisions were successfully included clarifying that Amish employees are not subject to the legislation's individual health insurance mandates.

• Developed a communications plan and messages to complement state and federal advocacy efforts for a national association addressing confusion about credentials advertised in the marketplace.

• Developed the legislative strategy to address federal agency, CMS and FDA media responses to a pharmaceutical pricing issue.

• Developed and managed an informal coalition to promote continued use of the one-cent coin and to respond to US Treasury, congressional and media initiatives related to the penny.