Does Stark Law Apply to Medicaid Patients?
The Stark Law, also known as the Physician Self-Referral Law, is a federal statute that prohibits physicians from referring patients for certain designated health services (DHS) payable by [...]
Understanding the Stark Law: Compliance Essentials for Healthcare Practices
Learn the key compliance requirements for the Stark Law, covering prohibited self-referrals, permissible exceptions, and risk mitigation strategies for healthcare practices. Insights from Cohen [...]
Anti-Kickback Statute Compliance for Healthcare Providers and Facilities
Learn essential Anti-Kickback Statute compliance strategies for healthcare providers and facilities, including safe harbor provisions and risk management tips. Insights from Cohen Healthcare Law Group.
Pfizer’s Bid to Help Pay Deductibles and Copays for a New Drug Denied Because the Bid Violates the AKS
A federal court and an appellate court ruled that Pfizer’s attempts to help patients with copay and deductible payments violates the AKS even if Pfizer acted with good intent.
Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Compliance Issues
Ambulatory surgery centers are attractive to doctors and patients due to reduced wait times, better control over infections, and other reasons – provided the ASCs do not violate the AKS or Stark Law.
Stark Law Blanket Waivers during COVID
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) identified 18 waivers to Stark Law’s prohibition against self-referrals. The waivers are based on the form of remuneration and the type of financial [...]
Why the False Claims Act Affects Your Medical Practice
Violations of the AKS and Stark Law are usually violations of the False Claims Act. Penalties can include treble damages and exclusion from Medicaid and Medicare Payments
New Proposed Rules from the CMS and the OIG-HHS on Stark Law and from the Anti-Kickback Statute
The CMS and HHA are proposing new rules, such as the Patients over Paperwork Initiative, where the focus of Stark and AKS will be on value-based arrangements
DOJ Penalizes Doctors, Hospitals, & Medical Practices Millions to Settle Allegations of Anti-Kickback Statute Violations
The DOJ reported several new cases in which health care companies and doctors agreed to pay millions to settle claims of healthcare fraud due to AKS and Stark violations.
Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law Settlements Worth Millions
The DOJ reported several new cases in which health care companies and doctors agreed to pay millions to settle claims of healthcare fraud due to AKS and Stark violations.
What Medical Practices Should Know about the Stark Law
The Stark Law is named after California U.S. Congressman, Peter Stark. It seeks to regulate how physicians refer Medicare and Medicaid patients. The law is part of the Omnibus Budget [...]
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Rock Your Practice with an MSO—MSO Compliance vs. using Independent Contactor Practitioners
Growing Pains in Your Healthcare Practice or Healthcare Venture? We’ve had many clinical practices and healthcare ventures come to us asking how to mitigate risk of anti-kickback and [...]
Physicians Fee-splitting & Nurse Fee-Splitting More Common Than You Realize
An RN who is working on getting her NP recently called our law firm, asking whether he was engaging in illegal “fee-splitting” in her compensation arrangement with a physician. Physician [...]
How substance abuse treatment centers navigate anti-kickback rules
Substance abuse treatment centers must steer carefully when sending patients for labs. Self-referral, anti-kickback, and fee-splitting rules can create legal enforcement issues and must be [...]
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FEE-SPLITTING 101 FOR MDS AND OTHER INTEGRATIVE HEALTH PRACTITIONERS
Is it fee-splitting to hire another medical doctor, chiropractor, acupuncturist, or other health care practitioner in your office and give them a “cut” of patient revenues? Fee-splitting, [...]
Do retrospective physician bonuses violate anti-kickback laws?
Do retrospective physician bonuses violate anti-kickback laws? Well they are problematic.
How Can A Healthcare Clinical Practice Bonus Its Staff, Employees, & Marketing Personnel Without Trigger Fee-Splitting and Anti-Kickback Issues?
Healthcare bonuses raise fee-splitting and anti-kickback issues; is there a workaround?
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Are physician online dietary supplement sales, kickbacks or fee-splitting?
Are physician online dietary supplement sales, kickbacks or fee-splitting?
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Packaging medical services – is it a legal concierge arrangement, or an illegal kickback?
If you're a medical doctor, dentist, acupuncturist, chiropractor, or other licensed healthcare provider, and you offer your patients "9 sessions, get 1 free," have you violated kickback laws?
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Is it fee-splitting for medical doctors to share revenues with non-medical business owners?
"I provide medical (or acupuncture, chiropractic, osteopathic, massage) services on an hourly basis and get paid a percentage of revenues in return.” Is that fee-splitting?
