Teresa Meinders Burkett

Teresa Meinders Burkett was born in Okarche, Oklahoma, and grew up in Norman, graduating from Norman High School in 1977. After graduating from OU's College of Nursing, she worked weekend night shifts as a critical care nurse and attended OU's College of Law during the day. She joined Boone Smith Davis Hurst & Dickman upon graduation from law school and built a successful health law practice there. In 2007, she joined Conner & Winters, LLP, founding and now co-directing the health law practice for this large respected firm.

Ms. Burkett’s law practice is focused primarily in the health care and employment law areas in both litigation and non-litigation matters. She represents a wide array of providers in the health care industry including hospitals, physician groups, nursing homes, hospice organizations, pharmaceutical companies, federally qualified health centers and individual professionals. She counsels and defends these clients in corporate compliance matters, employment issues and litigation, licensure and accreditation issues, third party and Medicare reimbursement, HIPAA compliance and patients’ rights concerns, EMTALA compliance, medical staff issues and operational needs. Ms. Burkett has been a health care lawyer in Tulsa for 28 years after working as a registered nurse in the intensive care setting before and while attending law school. Ms. Burkett is a founding member and past President of the Oklahoma Health Lawyers Association and has also served multiple times as Chairman of the Health Law Section of the Oklahoma Bar Association. She has been included in the Health Law Section of Best Lawyers in America since 1995 and is recognized as one of the top 50 Super Lawyers in Oklahoma and one of the top 25 Women Lawyers by Oklahoma Magazine. Ms. Burkett is also ranked as a top health care lawyer by Chambers and Partners, USA. For the past two years, Ms. Burkett has been an honoree as one of Oklahoma’s Women of the Year, a prestigious honor recognizing women making a significant impact professionally and in their communities on behalf of the state of Oklahoma.

Ms. Burkett earned her law degree with honors in 1985 and an undergraduate degree with special distinction in nursing in 1982 from the University of Oklahoma. In addition to her work with various professional associations, Teresa is active on the Boards of Directors for Tulsa Community College Foundation, Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa, Land Legacy, and the Oklahoma Center for Healthcare Improvement. She has served in leadership roles with many other organizations including Leadership Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Academy of State Goals, and recently chaired the Health Care Task Force for the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce for successive years.

Special areas of emphasis: Health care compliance, HIPAA, employment law issues, physician contracts, FQHCs, EMTALA compliance, hospices, public trust authority hospitals, government relations