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Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

HEALTHCARE REFERRALS:

Avoid Holiday Gift-Giving Landmines With These 7 Steps

Published on Mon Nov 09, 2009

The recipient of your holiday gift may be your best referral source, but thanking them in writing on the card could give you a compliance nightmare before Christmas. The holidays can present one of the biggest compliance hazards to healthcare providers, thanks to gift-giving for physician referral sources. Gift-giving "is an intersection where the very rigid nature of the Stark Law collides head-on with common American business practices," warns attorney Robert Ramsey III with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney in Pittsburgh. "Holiday gifts are, of course, something many nonhealthcare businesses have given to their business acquaintances for years," Ramsey tells Eli. "However, in the healthcare arena, such gifts can run afoul of the law depending on the circumstances." Look To Stark Law For Guidance Providers should consult the Stark law when they are deciding on gifts for physician referral sources, says attorney Rick Rifenbark with Foley & Lardner in Los Angeles. [...]
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