November Volunteer Feature: The City Bar Justice Center Honors Wendy Luftig for Her Work with the Cancer Advocacy Project
The City Bar Justice Center is delighted to honor Wendy Luftig, a health care attorney, for her outstanding work with the Cancer Advocacy Project. Wendy has been an active member of the Project since 1997, and has dedicated countless hours to assisting cancer patients, survivors and their families with challenging health care concerns.
One example of Wendy's dedication involved a client with recalcitrant ovarian cancer being denied a PET scan, a type of nuclear imaging used to help make diagnoses. Wendy appealed this determination and was denied on the first appeal. Undeterred, she appealed a second time challenging, among other things, the semantic distinction between recurrent and recalcitrant ovarian cancer. The decision was reversed, allowing the client to obtain coverage for her PET scan.
Wendy says that the Cancer Advocacy Project has provided her with a different outlook on her career. "I generally represent large corporate clients," she says. "Working with clients in the Cancer Advocacy Project has provided me with a different perspective, encouraging me to become more focused on and responsive to client concerns. Securing needed medical benefits for clients confronting sometimes desperate situations, is especially gratifying," she continues. "I am convinced that vigorous legal challenges to denial decisions through programs like the Cancer Advocacy Project dramatically improve the odds that the client will be able to secure coverage for medically recommended health benefits."
Laura Mosiello, Director of the Cancer Advocacy Project, raves about Wendy and her commitment to the Project. "She is an invaluable asset to the Project," says Laura. "Not only does she take on many challenging cases, but she also volunteers for speaking engagements where she educates patients and providers on health law issues and acts as a mentor for volunteer attorneys new to the Project. As a result of her efforts, the City Bar Justice Center's Cancer Advocacy Project is increasing its scope and ability to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients." The City Bar Justice Center is excited to be able to honor Wendy for her dedication and hard won successes.