Stark Law

Published on: October 22, 2024

The Basics of Healthcare Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Laws

Healthcare fraud, waste, and abuse laws apply to any entity doing business in the healthcare space and especially those submitting claims to government healthcare plans or programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. The three most important and influential healthcare fraud, waste, and abuse laws are the federal laws: the Physician Self-Referral Statute (commonly called the “Stark Law”), the Anti-Kickback Statute (the “AKS”) and the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (“EKRA”). Even a simple business arrangement can require a complex analysis where one or more of these statutes is implicated.

The Stark Law (42 U.S.C. 1395nn) prohibits physicians from referring patients to entities providing “designated health services” covered by Medicare or Medicaid if there is a financial relationship between the physician (or their immediate family) and the entity, except under specific exceptions. The financial relationships can cover employment, direct compensation, investment, and others. The Stark Law is somewhat unique because it does not apply to all Medicare or Medicaid services, but only to specific “designated health services” that are listed in statute and regulations. The Stark Law includes several exceptions, such as in-office ancillary services and fair market value compensation, but each element of the exception must be met for it to apply.

Similarly, the AKS (42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b(b)) prohibits the exchange of “remuneration” to influence patient referrals or generate business for services billed to federal healthcare programs. The AKS applies to all services billed to federal healthcare programs, and “remuneration” is broadly defined to include anything of value. The AKS includes several exceptions and “safe harbors.” A safe harbor refers to a set of circumstances defined by regulations where conduct that would otherwise implicate the AKS is nonetheless permissible if it meets all the requirements of the safe harbor.

Published on: February 13, 2024

The Basics of Stark, AKS, and EKRA

by Wachler & Associates, P.C.

When structuring healthcare arrangements, three major compliance challenges frequently emerge: the Stark Law (officially the Physician Self-Referral Law), the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), and the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA). These laws govern referrals to or from a healthcare provider or supplier and carry the risk of severe, sometimes criminal, penalties. Yet, each also offers several exceptions or safe harbors that certain business models might meet. Even a simple arrangement with a healthcare entity can involve complex analysis regarding these three statutes.

The Stark Law (42 U.S.C. 1395nn) prohibits doctors from referring patients to entities providing “designated health services” covered by Medicare or Medicaid if there is a financial relationship between the physician (or their immediate family) and the entity, except under specific exceptions. Financial relationships subject to the Stark Law encompass both compensation and investment interests. Covered services range from clinical labs to physical and occupational therapy, durable medical equipment, certain imaging services, and more. Common exceptions include provisions for in-office ancillary services, fair market value compensation, and legitimate employment relationships. Recently, CMS introduced additional exceptions for value-based arrangements to accommodate evolving healthcare delivery models.

Similarly, the AKS (42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b(b)) criminalizes the exchange of “remuneration” to influence patient referrals or generate business for services billed to federal healthcare programs. “Remuneration” is broadly defined to include any item of value, not just cash. Nonetheless, where conduct implicates the AKS, it may still be lawful if the conduct fits within one of the statute’s “safe harbors,” which cover certain investments, rental agreements, and personal service contracts, among others. Recent updates have also added safe harbors for value-based healthcare arrangements, reflecting the industry’s shift towards this model.

Published on: November 20, 2023

OIG Issues New General Compliance Program Guidance

by Wachler & Associates, P.C.

In November 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its General Compliance Program Guidance (GCPG). This guidance was released as part of OIG’s Modernization Initiative, which seeks to make compliance program guidance more user friendly and accessible. The document does not include new information but instead summarizes existing guidance regarding fraud and abuse risk, serving as an up-to-date comprehensive reference guide for the general healthcare community and industry stakeholders. OIG also noted that in 2024 it will begin publishing industry segment-specific CPGs (ICPGs) which will address compliance measures for industry subsectors.

The GCPG is not legally binding on any individual or entity, but contains valuable information regarding compliance with federal fraud and abuse statutes and regulations. The OIG guidance includes information regarding key fraud and abuse laws, the primary elements of an effective compliance program, program adaptations for small and large entities, other compliance considerations, and OIG resources and processes.

The GCPG begins with an overview of the principal federal fraud and abuse laws including the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), the Physician Self-Referral Law (PSL; also known as the “Stark law”), the False Claims Act (FCA), and the Civil Monetary Penalty law (CMP). Their stated goal in summarizing these laws is to “create awareness and provide tools and resources to aid compliance efforts in both preventing violations and identifying potential red flags early with respect to these laws and regulations.”

Published on: March 20, 2023

CMS Updates the Self-Referral Disclosure Protocol

by Wachler & Associates, P.C.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced updates to the voluntary self-referral disclosure protocol (SRDP), including revisions to streamline SRDP submissions. The SRDP process allows providers and suppliers to report certain violations under the Physician Self-Referral Law, commonly known as the Stark Law, by submitting information to CMS about actual or potential Stark Law violations. The decision to utilize the SRDP and the complete process of an SRDP disclosure are both complex and warrant careful and detailed consideration by a healthcare provider and their counsel.

The revised SRDP process introduces three key changes designed to reduce burdens of filing on self-disclosing providers by permitting such providers to:

Use a single Group Practice Information Form to report noncompliance with the Stark Law’s group practice definition, rather than completing separate forms for each individual physician in a group that had a prohibited referral due to such noncompliance;

Published on: March 10, 2022

Referring Clinical Lab Services Under the “In Office Ancillary” Exception

by Wachler & Associates, P.C.

Physician referrals for clinical laboratory services are a common focus of federal regulatory and enforcement actions. Numerous statutes and their implementing regulations, including the Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), and the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA), may be implicated where a physician refers clinical lab services to an entity in which the physician has a financial interest. However, the “in-office ancillary” exception to the Stark Law provides an important exception.

The Physician Self-Referral Law, often referred to as the Stark Law, prohibits “physicians” (generally including MDs, DOs, dentists, optometrists, and chiropractors) from referring patients to receive “designated health services” payable by Medicare or Medicaid from entities with which the physician or an immediate family member has a financial relationship, unless an exception applies. Financial relationships include both compensation and ownership or investment interests. Designated health services include clinical laboratory services, PT and OT, DME, some imaging services, and several other services. Some of the most common exceptions to the Stark Law include the in-office ancillary exception, fair market value compensation, and bona fide employment relationships. CMS has also recently implemented exceptions related to value-based arrangements.

“In Office Ancillary” services are an exception to the Stark Law. Generally, under the “in office ancillary” exception, the Stark Law does not apply to services that (1) are performed by the referring physician, another physician in the same group practice, or an individual supervised by the referring physicians or another physician in the same group practice; (2) are performed in the same building as the referring physician or their group practice offers services or in another centralized location; and (3) are billed by the performing physician, the supervising physician, their group practice, or a subsidiary that is wholly owned by the group practice.

Published on: February 10, 2022

Healthcare Companies Paid 90% of all False Claims Act Settlements in 2021

by Wachler & Associates, P.C.

Healthcare companies were once again the leading source of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) False Claims Act (FCA) settlements and judgments last year. According to a DOJ news release, healthcare companies paid almost 90% of fraud settlement proceeds under the FCA in 2021. The Justice Department obtained more than $5.6 billion in total settlements and judgments under the FCA in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, which is the second largest annual total in the FCA’s history. Over $5 billion of that number relates to matters involving the healthcare industry, including hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories, drug and medical device manufacturers, managed care providers, hospice organizations, and physicians.

The largest settlements under the FCA were those reached with prescription drugmakers for their role in the opioid epidemic. A significant number of settlements also related to the Medicare Advantage Program, which pays a capitated amount to private health insurers for each patient enrolled in their plan according to a risk calculation. Other settlements involved claims of illegal kickbacks, claims of providing unnecessary medical services, and lawsuits filed under the FCA’s whistleblower provisions.

The DOJ’s healthcare fraud enforcement is more vigorous compared to other industries, in part due to the unique nature of the business of healthcare. The Department’s enforcement efforts attempt to restore funds to federal programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE, as well as prevent further losses by deterring others from engaging in fraudulent behavior. In many cases, the Department may be motivated to protect patients from medically unnecessary or potentially harmful actions. Providers should be aware that overpayment allegations are common, especially given the substantial effect that widespread healthcare fraud can have on individuals and entities throughout the US. The regulatory and business risks in healthcare are unlike other fields, in large part due to the web of complex and often vague regulatory and statutory restrictions, such as Stark law, the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA), and the Corporate Practice of Medicine doctrine (CPOM), among others. Healthcare providers should remain proactive in ensuring operations comply with the many different standards of practice governed by federal and state laws and regulations.

Published on: August 17, 2021

Updated 2021 PhRMA Code Echoes HHS OIG Guidance on Speaker Programs

by Wachler & Associates, P.C.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) issued an updated August 2021 Code on Interaction with Health Care Professionals, which takes effect January 1, 2022. Section 7 of the PhRMA Code’s guidance on speaker programs largely echoes a Special Fraud Alert regarding health care speaker programs which was issued by the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) in November 2020. The focus here is on programs where health care professionals (HCPs) participate in company-sponsored speaker programs in order to help educate and inform other health care professionals about the benefits, risks, and appropriate uses of company medicines. Similarly to the Special Fraud Alert, the PhRMA Code raises significant concerns about companies offering or paying remuneration (and HCPs soliciting or receiving remuneration) in connection with speaker programs in violation of health care fraud and abuse laws, such as the Anti-Kickback Statute.

A primary focus of the PhRMA Code’s speaker program guidance involves situations where attendees of such programs are offered meals incident to attendance. In general, the Code explains that incidental meals of modest value may be offered to attendees of company-sponsored speaker programs, subject to some non-exhaustive principles. The purpose of the speaker program should be to present substantive educational information designed to help address a bona fide educational need among attendees, taking into account recent substantive changes in relevant information or the importance of the availability of such educational programming. According to the PhRMA Code, only those with a bona fide educational need for the information should be invited and incidental meals furnished to attendees must be modest as judged by local standards, as well as subordinate in focus to the educational presentation. Companies should not pay for or provide alcohol in connection with the speaker program. Speaker programs should occur in a venue and manner conducive to informational communication, and a company representative should be physically present. Luxury resorts, high-end restaurants, and entertainment, sporting, or other recreational venues or events are cautioned against. Repeat attendance at a speaker program on the same or substantially the same topic is generally not appropriate, unless the attendee has a bona fide educational need to receive the information presented, including attendance by speakers as participants after speaking at such programs. Friends, significant others, family members, and other guests of a speaker or an invited attendee are not appropriate attendees unless such individuals have an independent, bona fide educational need to receive the information presented. To note, the PhRMA Code does not address attendance at a speaker program that does not include an incidental meal to the attendee.

The PhRMA Code also sets out four general principles that apply to companies’ retention of HCPs as speakers at company-sponsored speaker programs. First, HCPs may be engaged by companies as speakers for company-sponsored speaker programs to help educate and inform other HCPs who have an independent, bona fide educational need to receive information about the benefits, risks, and appropriate uses of company medicine and related disease states. Second, company decision regarding the selection or retention of HCPs as speakers should be made based on defined criteria such as general medical expertise, reputation, knowledge, experience regarding a particular therapeutic area, and communication skills. Third, HCPs engaged by the company as speakers should also participate in company-sponsored speaker training programs because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) holds companies accountable for the presentation of their speakers. Finally, any compensation or reimbursement made to HCPs in conjunction with a speaking arrangement (including company-sponsored speaker training) should be reasonable, based on fair market value, and should not take into account the volume or value of past business that may have been, or potential future business that could be, generated for the company by the HCP. The PhRMA Code further cautions companies and speakers to be clear about the distinction between health care professional speaker programs and continued medical education programs. Health care providers should keep these guidelines in mind when designing company-sponsored HCP speaker programs.

Published on: July 28, 2021

CMS Proposes to Re-Revise the Stark Law’s Definition of “Indirect Compensation Arrangement”

by Wachler & Associates, P.C.

On July 13, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Proposed Rule that includes amendments to the regulations surrounding the Physician Self-Referral Law, also known as the Stark Law. The Proposed Rule seeks to revise the definition of “indirect compensation arrangement” (ICA) to bring it back in line with the previous definition of ICA as it existed prior to the latest Stark Law rulemaking, “Modernizing and Clarifying the Physician Self-Referral Regulations” (MCR Final Rule), issued on December 2, 2020. Additionally, the Proposed Rule seeks to define the term “unit’ and the phrase “services that are personally performed” for purposes of the ICA definition.

The Stark Law generally prohibits physicians from referring designated health services (DHS) payable by Medicare or Medicaid to an entity with which the physician (or an immediate family member) has a financial relationship unless an exception is met. With the MCR Final Rule, CMS introduced a further definitional requirement to the definition of ICA: that the “individual unit of compensation” received by the physician (or an immediate family member) must either (i) not be fair market value; or (ii) include the physician’s referrals as a variable that impacts compensation. By adding this definitional requirement, the MCR Final Rule effectively further narrowed the regulatory definition of ICA. In the Proposed Rule, CMS states that the MCR Final Rule inadvertently omitted language from the ICA definition which would have ensured that a subset of potentially abusive financial relationships would have continued to satisfy the definition of ICA. Under the Proposed Rule, the ICA definitional requirement added by the MCR Final Rule would be effective only if the compensation received by the physician would be for the physician’s own personally performed services.

In response to providers’ concerns about the scope and practical application of the phrase “individual unit of compensation,” CMS seeks to provide some clarity by defining the phrase in the Proposed Rule. CMS proposes to define an individual unit either in terms of service, where all compensation is based solely on the service provided, or in terms of time, in all other cases, where any one basis of the physician’s compensation is time-based. CMS also proposes to introduce regulatory language to aid in the application of the ICA definition when the physician receives compensation for personally performed services by stating services personally performed by a physician “do not include services that are performed by any person other the physician ….” At this time, it is unclear whether this proposed language would include services performed by an employee, but provided incident to the physician’s personally performed services. The Proposed Rule is open for public comment until September 13, 2021.

Published on: June 21, 2021

What’s the Difference Between “In Office Ancillary” and “Incident To”?

by Wachler & Associates, P.C.

Two similar and inter-related, but sometimes misunderstood, terms in healthcare law are “in office ancillary” and “incident to.” While both may apply to the same circumstances, they are distinct concepts and should be understood separately.

“In Office Ancillary” services are an exception to the Physician Self-Referral Law, often referred to as the Stark Law. The Stark Law prohibits “physicians” (generally including MDs, DOs, dentists, optometrists, and chiropractors) from referring patients to receive “designated health services” payable by Medicare or Medicaid from entities with which the physician or an immediate family member has a financial relationship, unless an exception applies. Generally, under the “in office ancillary” exception, the Stark law does not apply to services that (1) are performed by the referring physician, another physician in the same group practice, or an individual supervised by the referring physicians or another physician in the same group practice; (2) are performed in the same building as the referring physician or their group practice offers services or in another centralized location; and (3) are billed by the performing physician, the supervising physician, or their group practice.

On the other hand, “incident to” is a billing term. Services and supplies billed “incident to” a physician’s professional services are furnished by auxiliary personnel as an integral, although incidental, part of the physician’s personal professional services. Generally, services and supplies commonly furnished in physicians’ offices are covered under the “incident to” provisions. However, to bill services provided by auxiliary personal as “incident to” the physician’s services, among other requirements, the physician must directly supervise the auxiliary personnel. That is, the physician must be present in the same office suite and immediately available to provide assistance and direction while the auxiliary personnel is performing services.

Published on: June 7, 2021

Vaccine Incentives for Healthcare Employers

by Wachler & Associates, P.C.

On May 28, 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released guidance indicating that employers could, under certain circumstances, offer incentives to employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and offer the vaccine to employees’ family members. The EEOC largely confined its analysis to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). However, employers who are also healthcare providers must also consider whether these benefits to employees or their family members implicate prohibitions on payment for referrals.

The Physician Self-Referral Law (also known as the Stark Law), the Anti-Kickback Statutes (AKS), and the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA) all prohibit various forms of payment for referrals. The Stark Law prohibits “physicians” (generally including MDs, DOs, dentists, optometrists, and chiropractors) from referring patients to receive “designated health services” payable by Medicare or Medicaid from entities with which the physician or an immediate family member has a financial relationship, unless an exception applies. The AKS is a criminal statute that prohibits the knowing and willful payment of “remuneration” to induce or reward patient referrals or the generation of business involving any item or service payable by federal health care programs. EKRA provides criminal penalties for paying, receiving, or soliciting any remuneration in return for referrals to recovery homes, clinical treatment facilities, or clinical laboratories. All three and can carry stiff penalties, sometimes criminal penalties.

Healthcare employers who provide incentives to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to employees with the ability to make referrals to the employer or that offer benefits to such employees’ family members should account for these statutes. Depending on how the incentive is structured, it may fit into the bona fide employment exception to the Stark Law or one of the other exceptions or safe harbors in these rules. It is also important to note that, due to federal funding, the vaccine itself it available free-of-charge, but that administration of the vaccine and the convenience thereof may still represent things of value, as well as the value of any incentives, in cash or otherwise.