Panelist Spotlight: Susan Mack

From 1998 to 2006, Susan Mack served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Transamerica Reinsurance, where she led the health insurance/reinsurance profit and loss center. As a partner at Adams and Reese LLP from 2015 to 2021, her practice focused on resolving disputes involving providers, hospitals, health plans, and insurers. Recognized as a Best Lawyer in America from 2021 to 2025, Susan now operates her own firm and is an active member of the bars of Florida, California, Connecticut, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Susan combines deep legal expertise with hands-on executive experience in health insurance and reinsurance. We asked her how this dual perspective shapes her approach as a neutral on the AAA Healthcare Panel.

Q: Tell us about your background in healthcare law or the healthcare industry.

Susan: In addition to resolving disputes involving physicians, health centers, plans, and insurers as a lawyer in private practice, I bring hands-on experience as a health executive for both an insurer and reinsurer. As General Counsel of Transamerica Reinsurance, I led the business line responsible for issuing medical stop-loss, special risk, health reinsurance, and group health insurance. My responsibilities encompassed claims resolution, coverage evaluation, contract analysis, and sales and marketing matters. My broad experience also includes Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, billing and collection disputes, health subrogation, tort liability, and issues related to strategic combinations.

Q: What types of healthcare disputes do you typically handle as an arbitrator or mediator?

Susan: Drawing on the breadth of my executive and legal experience in healthcare disputes, I have served as either Panel Chair or arbitrator in a wide variety of matters—ranging from antitrust issues to claims and coverage controversies. The disputes have involved a diverse set of participants, including: (a) vendors vs. plans or insurers, (b) providers vs. health centers, (c) providers vs. plans or insurers, and (d) insureds vs. plans or insurers.

Q: What drew you to ADR work in the healthcare space? What do you value most about serving as a neutral on the AAA Healthcare Panel?

Susan: While I have resolved a variety of disputes as a long-time arbitrator, the healthcare sector is currently experiencing notable growth in both the volume and complexity of cases. Over the past two to three years, the highest-value disputes I’ve handled have been in this area. I’ve had excellent experiences serving alongside other highly qualified arbitrators from the AAA Healthcare Panel, all of whom are dedicated to resolving matters with fairness, neutrality, and efficiency.

Q: What advice do you have for parties preparing for arbitration or mediation in complex healthcare disputes?

Susan: To allow the arbitration panel to focus on the core issues in dispute, the power of collaboration among counsel cannot be overstated. Resolving discovery and other procedural matters before involving the panel not only streamlines the process but also helps contain costs.