Derek F. Covert

SVP/General Counsel

With over 28 years of experience in healthcare law and tax management and nearly 22 years with Catholic Healthcare West, Mr. Covert advises the Board and Management of CHW and its affiliates in legal matters, specializing in tax, corporate, and business law. His responsibilities include matters related to governance and corporate integrity, debt transactions, the maintenance of tax exemption, compliance with anti-kickback and self-referral laws, and legal oversight of CHW's claims management and insurance functions.

Mr. Covert joined CHW in December 1987, after six years in the tax division of Arthur Andersen and Company in San Francisco and Oakland.  Part of that responsibility involved advising CHW and, before its formation, Mercy Health System, on tax matters.

Mr. Covert is a past member of the Board of the Northern California Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association; he founded and served as the first Chairperson of its Tax Committee.  He is a current member of the American Health Lawyers Association and the California Society for Healthcare Attorneys, where he formerly served on the Board of Directors.

He received his Bachelors of Arts (Accounting) from the University of Akron in 1976, and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Akron McDowell School of Law in 1981. He is also a Certified Public Accountant in California.